Undeniable
by ChokolateKiss
Summary: Based on the tv show. Blair is tired of her oneway relationship with Nate. She wants to feel wanted and desired so she breaks up with him and heads to Victrola, where she sees a whole new side of Chuck. Is she about to fall in love? Chuck&Blair R & R :
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I

Chuck Bass was what everyone knew as the quintessential, Park Avenue bad boy who often walked on the wild side of life. His father, Bart Bass, owned a series of hotels where Chuck often stayed in any one of the penthouse suites. He was rich, conceited and terribly charming, which were the very things that brought the ladies running to him all the time. A lust-driven individual, he cared about very few things in life: money, sex, alcohol and his best friend Nate Archibald. Although to the rest of the world Chuck appeared as a cynical, morally bankrupt boy who had too much experience for his young age, deep down he was actually a caring, intelligent and deeply passionate individual…an image he would never let anyone see.

Blair Waldorf was a hopeless romantic who idolized Audrey Hepburn. Her sensitive side, however, contrasted with her tendency to be bitchy and controlling. She was rich and used her money and her charm to get whatever she wanted. Every girl wanted to be her and every guy wanted to be _with_ her. But her cool and charming demeanor was often a show she put on for the rest of the world. Deep down, she was an insecure girl who felt pain in her very core…a pain that came from her boyfriend, Nate, sleeping with her best friend, Serena van der Woodsen, months ago. She had managed to forgive them both, but she would never forget.

Their circle of friends was quite small and included Blair's boyfriend Nate, who was also Chuck's best friend, Blair's best friend Serena and her boyfriend Dan Humphrey, who was still trying to fit in with the 'rich kids' for he was from the other side of the river…Brooklyn. After forgiving her boyfriend for cheating on her months ago, Blair desperately tried to get her turbulent relationship with Nate back on track. But he often seemed indifferent to her efforts and paid her very little attention. She had dreamt for years of losing her virginity to Nate, who she had made out to be the perfect boyfriend, in her bedroom with red roses beautiful music playing in the background. But the more she tried setting the mood, the more things would get in the way. Moment interrupted….or fate intervened? Blair wasn't sure anymore, but she was tired of feeling neglected. She craved to feel wanted and desired; feelings that Nate had never invoked in her throughout the lengthy course of their relationship.

Frustrated with the path their 'perfect' relationship had taken, Blair finally mustered up the courage and called him on his behavior. When his response didn't settle well with her, she sighed and asked him if he ever really loved her. She was met by a down-case gaze and silence. His response felt like someone had taken a dagger and plunged it into her heart, all the while twisting it to make the pain hurt more. But at the same time, she felt a form of relief and closure. She had wasted so much of her time on Nate and their one-way relationship that she suddenly felt relief from finally breaking free. Telling him that it was over between them, she got into a cab and didn't look back as she head towards Victrola.

Waiting for her when she arrived was Chuck, who stared absently at the car for a moment, surprised that Nate wasn't accompanying her.

"Where's Nate?" he asked, following her into the club, past the long lineup of people who were waiting to get in.

"I think we just broke up," she said and to Chuck's surprise, she didn't sound miserable or torn.

Instead, she sounded thrilled with the idea…something that shocked Chuck immensely. As they walked inside, Blair noticed how different the club looked from that very morning when she had visited Chuck and gone over his proposal to his father to purchase the place with him. Lights were shining everywhere and the music blared in the background as five showgirls danced on stage to the many cheers of young men crowded down below. Chuck moved her towards his private booth, one that was situated at the very center of the club, directly below the stage but a little far off to give him his viewing pleasure. Sitting down on the booth, she unbuttoned the first few buttons from the collar of the dress her mother had picked out for her and leaned back, grabbing Chuck's glass and taking a sip from his champagne. He simply sat there and watched her for a moment before speaking up.

"What happened?" he finally managed to asked, pouring himself another glass.

"It was simple," she began, turning to face him. "I asked him if he loved me and he didn't reply."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, the sincerity in his voice surprising her.

"Don't be," she said, shaking the moment away and turning back to the dancers again. "I feel relieved."

Nodding, he finished his glass and went back for another refill. Blair watched him from the corner of her eyes, a small smile appearing on her lips. There was already an empty bottle on the table and the second one was a third unfilled. She wondered how he could consume so much alcohol so easily and be so unaffected by it. As he sat back and took another sip, she realized that he wasn't even the smallest bit drunk. Without realizing it, she turned her face until she was fully staring at him. He turned to face her and she noticed for the first time how deep his eyes were and how penetrating his gaze was. His nose was thin, his chin was arched in a perfect way and his cheek bones brought certain gentleness to his face. He had a handsome face, his body seemed well built and the suits he wore fit his character. His gelled but messy hair added to his seductive image and she realized in that moment how he simply oozed sexiness.

"Blair?" he asked, calling her name for a third time, only this time he finally got her attention.

Shaking her head, she came out of her daze and cleared her throat.

"What?" she asked, facing the dancers, praying that he didn't realize how flushed she was.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his left brow slightly arched up.

"I'm fine," she said, wanting to change the topic as quickly as she could. "You know, I have moves."

Smirking at her words, he sat up and glanced back at her. "Come on, you're ten times hotter than any of those girls."

"I know what you're doing Bass…," she began with a smile and then scoffed, turning to face him. "You don't think I'd do it."

"I _know_ you won't do it," he replied with another of his signature smirks.

Taking his words into consideration, Blair rose to her feet. "Guard my drink."

Before he was able to say anything, she marched up onto the stage and turned her back to the audience. Taking a deep breath, she turned her head to an angle to see if he was watching and when she realized that he was, she slowly unzipped her dress. Chuck was surprised by her sudden bold and daring move, but he found himself sitting on the edge of his seat, his eyes glued on her. Stepping out of her dress, she tossed it aside and stood in nothing but her satin negligee. As she began moving slowly on stage, she twirled her fingers in his direction and smiled when she got a response from Chuck that involved him rising to his feet. As the music continued and the people cheered, Blair slowly moved down onto the stage, her seductive moves drawing a loud applaud from the single young men down below. Chuck simply stared at her with his hands stuffed in his pockets, mesmerized by the petite brunette beauty before him. When the song ended and her dance was done, Blair suddenly began blushing, realizing what she had just done. Grabbing her dress, she pushed past the loud cheers coming from everyone inside the club and rushed towards Chuck, burying her face in his chest in embarrassment.

"Waldorf, there's no need to feel ashamed," he said, pushing her back slightly to look at her face. "You're beautiful and it's time you knew it."

She was surprised by his words…they seemed heartfelt and almost genuine. But this was after all her friend Chuck Bass: the boy who lived for booze and women and nothing more. He then pulled away from her and took her dress in his hands. They both stared down at it and noticed the great tear it had on the side from being trampled on by the crowd below the stage. Feeling suddenly insecure as she stood in her negligee, Blair wrapped her arms around her body and looked to see if anyone was staring at her. Smiling softly, he removed his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders, his fingers touching hers as he pulled the jacket tight in front of her. She felt a small electric shock when their fingers touched and the feeling it invoked in her shocked Blair, like so many other things had tonight. She looked up at him gratefully and he smiled in reply.

"Come on," he said, finishing his drink and escorting her outside. "I'll take you home. I think you've had enough adventures for one night."

When they reached outside, he led her towards his limousine and opened the door for her. She stared at him, surprised by his kind gestures which made him chuckle lightly.

"What?" he asked nonchalantly. "I may be a conceited jerk, but even _I_ have some manners."

"Sorry," she mumbled, scrambling inside the limo as he got in after her.

After giving Blair's address to his driver, he shut the inner window connecting them with the front seat. Sighing, he looked outside as they drove down the streets. They remained silent for a long time and when she was sure he wasn't looking, Blair fixed her gaze on him and simply stared at the back of his head. She was unsure how long she was in her trance but his words brought her back to reality.

"That's twice," he said, finally facing her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking away.

"That's twice you've stared at me tonight," he replied. "Is there something on your mind?"

_I feel so attracted to you right now_, Blair's mind declared, the thought astonishing her incredibly.

"Do you want me to talk to Nate?" he asked, the name of her former boyfriend making her brows narrow. "Knock some sense into him?"

"No," she whispered, shaking her head.

As Chuck gazed at her, he loved the way she looked in his clothes. The light from the streetlights outside was cast on her face, making her appear even more beautiful than before, if that were even possible. Shaking such thoughts away, he cleared his throat and sat up slightly. Biting her lower lip, she stared ahead of her and he realized that she was debating something in her mind.

"Hey…," he said, gently touching her hand to get her attention, absently caressing her skin.

She flinched at his touch and bit her lower lip more tightly, closing her eyes as if she were in pain. He had felt something when he touched her just then, but he kept his thoughts to himself and frowned at the way she was acting.

"Blair?" he asked.

When she didn't respond or move, he closed the distance between them and whispered her name again, this time in a coarse whisper that sent a chill down her spine. When she opened her eyes, she followed his gaze as he leaned back in the seat. Her eyes held a lusty gaze in them, one that he suddenly became aware of. Before he was able to say anything else, she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips onto his. The simple kiss unlocked so much emotion she had locked away in her for so long, but before she was able to kiss him again, he pulled away from her, his own deep eyes staring into her soul. The strength and heat in his gaze made her somewhat uncomfortable, but she sat frozen. Blaire was sure that he would break into a fit of laughter and ridicule her, but his next words shocked her once more, but not for the last time.

"You were amazing up there," he said which made her smile.

His next words came out in a whisper.

"Are you sure?" he asked softly.

She couldn't help but smile softly at him and pressed her lips on his again. This time, neither pulled away. Their kisses were heated and passionate in ways she had never experienced before with Nate. His hands slowly moved to the jacket and he pulled it off of her, his fingers tracing a line down her arms as he did so. His touch was so gentle that Blair felt herself going mad. Pulling her onto his lap, she buried her hands in his hair as he began kissing up from her shoulders, to her neck and finally back to her lips. She was inexperienced in all of this, especially compared to him, so she let him guide her, trusting her body with him completely. As their kisses deepened, he moved his hands to the straps of her negligee and seductively pulled them down with his fingers, his touches on her skin almost burning her. Before they were able to go any further, the driver pulled to a stop before her condominium. Chuck was the first to break the kiss and he glanced outside the window with a soft sigh. She was unsure why he had pulled away, but when she followed his gaze, she realized the reason. Pulling his face back to hers, she pressed her lips back onto his, her fingers moving to the collar of his shirt.

"Tell him to keep driving," she whispered into his mouth.

He allowed the kissing to go on for another minute before he pulled away from her. For reasons he was unsure of now and would kick himself for later, he pushed her back slightly.

"You should go home," he said.

"What?" she asked, amazed that Chuck Bass was saying these words.

"Blair, you've been waiting for this moment for so long," he began. "Losing your virginity in the back of a limousine is hardly your fantasy."

"But…," she began, but he gently pulled her off of him and sat her down on the seat.

Grabbing his jacket, he draped it over her shoulders once more and began buttoning it for her, his eyes cast on the task at hand as she gazed down at him in confusion. He, Chuck Bass….notorious bad boy, had just said no to a girl. But not any girl…he had said no to Blair. A part of her felt angry and embarrassed at the way he was behaving. She was giving herself to him and he had rejected her. Before she was able to formulate any words, he pulled her face in for a long, private kiss, one that was shared only between lovers or married couples. When he pulled away, he left her lips swollen red and wanting more.

"If you want to be with me like that, I'm all for it," he began, his smirk not lost on the moment. "But you're not ready for this and I don't want you to regret anything."

With that, he opened the door and stepped out, extending his hand to her. She sat amazed by his behavior and all of her resentment towards him from moments ago floated away. Taking his hand, she stepped out of the limousine as he shut the door and faced his driver who was standing outside.

"I'm going to walk her home, I'll be right back," he said before leading her towards the lobby.

It was late and luckily only the bellman and the overnight manager were around. But neither of them looked up as Chuck led her towards the elevator. As they walked in, he touched the small of her back. It was such a simple but intimate move that made Blair face him as they rode the elevator up to her floor. She leaned up and placed a small kiss on his neck, which made him bring his arms around her and pull her body into his. They both inhaled one another's scent deeply and closed their eyes, enjoying their closeness silently. When the elevator sounded and the doors opened, he took her hand and led her to her door. She unlocked and opened the door, stepped inside and turned around to face him.

"I'm not sure what to say," she began, glad that the lights were off and her mother was asleep.

"Don't say anything," he said, leaning in to kiss her once more. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she replied with a soft smile as he winked at her and began heading towards the elevator.

Realizing that she was still wearing his jacket, she called out his name.

"Your jacket," she said as he faced her, his left hand in his pants pocket.

"Nah," he replied as the elevator doors opened. "It looks better on you."

As they smiled at one another, he rubbed the nape of his neck and disappeared from her view. She lingered at her door for another moment before locking up and heading towards her bedroom. Once she was inside, she closed her door, tossed the dress and her purse on her chair and sat on her bed. She closed her eyes and sighed, recalling their kisses and the way he had made her feel. With a content smile on her face, she crawled into bed and closed her eyes, hugging the jacket she still wore tightly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

When Blaire awoke the next morning, the events of the previous night seemed somewhat of a blur. Rubbing the sleep away from her eyes, she pulled the covers off her body and noticed the jacket she was wearing. Everything suddenly hit her in a matter of seconds: breaking up with Nate, going to Victrola, dancing on stage in her negligee, sharing all of those kisses with Chuck in the back of his limousine and Chuck putting a stop to their passion for her sake. He had then rode the elevator up with her, walked her to her door and kissed her goodnight as if it were a common routine between them.

Blair was beyond confused. Twenty four hours ago, she was certain of her love for Nate and of their future together. She wasn't supposed to be with Chuck or feel the way she did last night with _him_. It was all planned for her and Nate but he had cheated on her and disappointed her too many times. Whatever love, if she could even call it that, they shared had slowly disappeared over time. Blair was sure that she would feel devastated over breaking up with Nate…over letting go of the one constant thing had in her life these past few years. But she felt the exact opposite. She actually felt free.

Sighing, she glanced down at the jacket she wore that didn't belong to Nate and smiled despite herself as the memories of the limousine entered her mind. For all the years she had known Chuck, he had been in love with two things: alcohol and women. He had never had a serious girlfriend and had lost his virginity at the age of thirteen, the first in their group of friends. She had never seen him like he was last night, caring and compassionate, except for one day when they were fourteen. It was Valentine's Day and Nate had disappointed Blair yet again by not getting her anything. He had simply forgotten the special day, the first of many to come. Realizing how upset she was, Chuck had ditched fourth period French class to get her a single red rose and he had kissed her cheek when he had given it to her. His behavior last night had puzzled her as much as it had back then. The next day, he had reverted back to his arrogant former self as if nothing had happened and she was almost certain that he would do the same today.

Sighing, Blair removed the jacket from around her shoulders and recalled how gentle he had been putting it on her. She also remembered how each of his kisses touched the core of her soul and each of his caresses burnt her skin. Shaking her head, Blair rose to her feet and grabbed her towel, desperate to rid the memories of last night away from her body and mind with a shower. She wasn't supposed to feel this way for Chuck Bass.

Once she was showered and dressed, Blair glanced back at the jacket that sat neatly on her bed. Walking towards it, she had half a mind to toss it in the trash. But when she touched the cloth, she pulled it to her face and inhaled. His scent, a mixture of cologne and aftershave, was still etched in the material. Sighing, Blair rolled her eyes at her girlish ways and finally decided to hang the jacket in her closet. He had basically told her to keep it and so she decided that she would.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her bag and stepped out of the safety of her room. She knew she had many people to deal with: Nate and their breakup, Serena who had probably heard everything by now and Chuck, the one person whose face she couldn't get out of her mind despite all of her best efforts. The question was did she really want to?

When Blair arrived at her posh private school, she switched her cell phone on and saw that she had five missed calls, three were from Nate, one was from Serena and one from her mother. She felt a slight disappointment that Chuck's name wasn't listen on any of those calls but shook the feeling away. Ignoring the voice mails, she moved onto her text messages. The first few were from Nate, wondering where she was and wanting to talk to her. The next was from Serena, having heard about her and Nate just as she had predicted. The final message surprised her the most. It was Chuck and all it wrote were the words _'good morning'_. Staring at the words for what seemed like an hour, Blair didn't even notice that a smile had crept onto her face and finally messaged the same words back to him. Shutting her phone, she walked to the steps and was instantly greeted by Serena.

"Blair!" the blond exclaimed when she sat down. "B, where have you been? I called and message you."

"I was sleeping," Blair replied quietly.

"I heard about you and Nate," Serena began sadly, unsure how to word her thoughts. "Sweetie, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Blair said, knowing where her best friend was going with this. "Things between Nate and I haven't been right for a very long time. Even before…well, you know."

She suddenly felt her phone vibrate in her hands and casually flipped it open to see another message from Chuck: _'did you sleep well?'_ Smiling within herself, she replied: _'like a baby'_, before facing her friend again.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Serena was asking, but Blaire's phone vibrated once more.

_'In my jacket?'_ was the new message, which made her blush slightly before another message arrived. _'Mmm, I bet you looked good.'_

Her blush simply grew before she replied to him. _'I did…your loss.'_

"B?" Serena's voice pulled her away from her thoughts. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Sorry," Blair said before shutting her phone.

"Are you sure that this is what you want?" Serena repeated.

After a moment's pause, Blair looked up. "I think so."

All of a sudden, the bell rang and they rose to their feet. Blair fell a couple steps behind Serena and flipped her phone open once more.

_'See you in class,'_ the last message wrote, causing Blair to grin like an idiot.

When they arrived at their first class, Blair's eyes quickly met Nate's who sat up when he saw her. Her eyes then scanned the room and landed on two seats behind him where Chuck was sitting, his signature smirk on his face. She bit back her smile and noticed the empty seat between the two…her seat.

_'This is going to be a long day,'_ she said to herself before sitting down.

Nate immediately turned around to face her once she was seated.

"Blair, we have to talk," he said quietly.

"About what?" she asked him casually.

"Blair, please," he pleaded with her.

Sighing softly, Blair gave in. She owed him that much after everything they had been through together.

"Fine…lunchtime," she said and looked away.

Satisfied, Nate turned back to the front of the class as their teacher, Mrs. Peters walked into the room. They had calculus first period and Mrs. Peters was far too perky for Monday morning. As Blair opened her notebook and removed her pen, she felt something on the nape of her neck. Quietly turning back, she noticed Chuck smiling at her.

"What are you doing?' she whispered.

"Nothing," he replied easily.

Turning back to face the front, she felt the movement again and twisted once more to face him.

"Stop it," she ordered him, but he shook his head and let out a slight chuckle.

When she faced forward once more, he traced her collar bone with his index finger from the nape of her neck to the center of her back, causing her to let out a gasp. Serena glanced at her when she heard the noise, but Blair simply smiled it away. When Serena faced forward again, Chuck repeated the action, tracing circles on her exposed neck. When she tilted her neck to the side to give him better access, he smiled at his accomplishment. Mrs. Peters called his name to walk to the board and solve a question and the sudden removal of his finger from her skin made her hate Mrs. Peters even more than she did five minutes ago. As Chuck walked to the front of the class, Blair's eyes remained glued on his back, completely mesmerized.

_Blair Waldorf excited to see a male who wasn't Nate Archibald and allowing him to behave and touch her this way? Who was this new girl and what has she done with her former self? Until next time, it's Gossip Girl XOXO_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

After an eventful morning in calculus class and an extremely tiresome hour in History, Blair head towards her locker to deposit her books for lunch. Shutting her locker door, she was surprised to see Chuck standing there with a smile on his face.

"You scared the hell out of me," she expressed as he smirked.

"Of course I did," he said confidently, making her scoff at him.

"What do you want, Bass?" she asked, her voice sounding annoyed, which was far from the truth.

"You were all hot and bothered during calculus this morning," he remarked.

"And you must be clearly delusional," she replied, tossing her purse over her shoulder.

"Baby, I felt your eyes on my back when Mrs. Peters called me to the board," he explained.

"Don't call me 'baby'," she said almost forcefully, but he was able to see the small smile that had formed in the corner of her mouth.

When he suddenly leaned in towards her, Blair froze in her spot. A part of her wanted him to kiss her then, but the louder voice reminded her that they were standing in a rather busy hallway at school. But all he did was push a strand of her hair behind her ear, his stroke so gentle she wondered if he had even touched her.

"Want to get some lunch?" he asked casually, removing his hand from her hair.

It took her a second to gather herself from the small moment they had just shared.

"Are you planning on annoying me with your presence?" she asked, wanting to keep the fun banter between them alive.

With another of his smirks, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and slowly walked by her. She turned to watch him go and he tossed her a glance over his back, his eyes daring her to join him. Blair Waldorf, a girl who never backed down from a dare, picked up her pace and fell into step with him. Just as they were about to exit their school's main doors, someone grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn around.

"Blair," Nate exclaimed as they both faced the intruder. "Where are you going? I thought you said we were going to talk?"

When he glanced from Blair to Chuck and back to Blair, looking for some sort of explanation, Chuck cleared his throat.

"We were on our way to find _you_," he said and faced Blair. "Now we found him. I'm out of here."

Before Blair was able to say anything to stop him from leaving, he was already out the door. Sighing, Blair turned to face her former boyfriend.

"What do you want Nate?" she asked in an annoyed tone, only this time she meant it.

"Can we go somewhere private?" he said, his voice almost pleading with her.

After a moment's pause, she finally agreed and followed him into an empty classroom. Outside, Chuck was heading towards his parked limousine and incidentally ran into Serena and Dan, who were walking hand in hand, laughing aloud.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't Queen S and her poor boy toy Frank," he greeted them.

"You know my name isn't Frank," Dan said, his anger already growing.

"Do I? I guess I forgot," he said with a grin.

"Chuck," Serena began in a soft tone. "Why do you always have to act like that?"

"Like what?" he replied. "Rich?"

"I think she means a pompous ass," Dan cut in for her.

"I _mean_," Serena began, throwing a sideway glance at her boyfriend. "Why do you act as if you don't care about anything but yourself?"

"That's because I don't," Chuck replied honestly. "Well, except for Nathaniel I guess."

"I remember some days when you were actually nice," Serena continued. "You seemed almost caring and kind. But you always go back to being a jerk."

"You are what you are," he replied with a smirk before stepping inside his limousine.

They watched his driver pull away from the parking lot before facing one another.

"I can't for the life of me imagine a single moment when that guy could be considered even remotely nice," Dan exclaimed, which made Serena chuckle lightly.

"No, he's not so bad," she defended him. "I mean, yes he's a womanizer and drinks a lot and everything. But he had a pretty rough life growing up."

"Rough life?" Dan asked. "How?"

"I don't know any of the details. I just overheard his father talking to him a few years ago and Chuck was shouting how he wished he could go back in time and change his horrible life," Serena explained before shrugging her shoulders. "I asked him about it and he told me to mind my business and it's never come up again since."

"Couldn't he have just meant that he's a pretentious, self-absorbed rich guy who's bored with his life?" Dan asked with his brows raised.

"It could I guess," Serena agreed. "But I don't know, whenever I talk to him, behind the smirk and the wicked glare in his eyes, I always see sadness."

Sighing, she shrugged her shoulders again and smiled.

"Enough about him. Where were _we_?" she said before leaning in to kiss her boyfriend, who more than happily obliged.

Back inside the classroom, Blair leaned on one of the desks as Nate cleared his throat nervously.

"Blair…," he began before looking up. "Do you think that maybe we were too hasty in breaking up?"

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

"It's just that you and I have been through a lot together," he expressed. "We've survived so much. Can't this just be another rough patch?"

"Nate, don't you get it?" she asked, standing up. "I'm _tired_ of being disappointed. I'm _tired_ of feeling neglected."

"But Blair, I have a family and…," Nate began to defend himself.

"I know you do and so do I," she cut in. "Don't flatter yourself. I don't want your attention twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I just want to spend time with you at least a few minutes a day and you can't even give me _that_. You always brush me aside and I'm tired of it."

"I know. I understand," he said, closing the distance between them. "Please, just give me another chance. Please Blair."

"Why?" she said, her voice sounding tired. "What do we have left?"

"Love," he replied simply. "We still love each other."

"I asked you if you loved me last night and you looked away. What love, Nate?" she asked angrily.

"I made a mistake last night," he stated before taking her hands in his. "Please Blair. Give me another chance. I won't let you down anymore, I promise."

Sighing, Blair stared into his eyes for a long moment, unsure what to say. Now she was even more confused than this morning. Her boyfriend of over four years was begging her to give him another chance and he was right on one thing: they did share a lot of history between them. Was she willing to let that all go for bad boy Chuck? Blair was sure that he would probably use her to pleasure him in bed and then toss her aside like dozens of other girls he'd been with. Did she honestly think that Chuck Bass would commit to a relationship with her? After everything she'd seen of him? Did she even want him to? Blair didn't know what to say or what to do. All she knew was how she had felt last night in the limousine and the feeling of Chuck's fingers on her skin today. Then again, Nate looked awfully sincere in his apology and they _had_ been through a lot.

"I'm holding my birthday party tonight even though the actual day is tomorrow," she finally said, pulling her hands out of his. "My mom's leaving on business and I wanted her to be here for it."

"I know," he said, smiling happily. "I didn't forget."

"You say you want another chance? I don't know, Nate," she replied honestly. "Just come to the party tonight and we'll take it from there."

With that, she turned and walked away from him. Once she was outside, her eyes scanned the parking lot for a certain someone. But she looked away when she realized that Chuck's limousine was gone.

_What has B gotten herself into now? Did she really want to be with Nate again, after everything he had put her through? Or was this all some sort of ploy to see if Chuck Bass would be jealous enough to agree to be in a relationship with her? Until next time, this is Gossip Girl XOXO_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

Once school was over, Blair had made her way outside where her driver ushered her towards the jewelers. It was a tradition where she would place certain items on hold at the jewelers so everyone would know what to get her. As she entered the jeweler's store, Henry the owner, a middle-aged and fairly friendly man, walked towards her.

"Is it that time again, my dear?" he asked in a warm voice as Blair smiled at him.

"You know how I love my birthday," she replied and began looking through the many jewels that lied in the showcase before her.

Her eyes suddenly landed on a Cartier diamond necklace: a two carat, classic cut diamond pendant on a silver chain.

"Does this catch your eye?" Henry asked, opening the lock to the showcase and removing the necklace for her to see.

"It's beautiful," she expressed, completely in awe of the sparkling necklace. "How much does it cost?"

"Thirty thousand," the man replied, which made Blair's eyes almost jump out of its sockets. "Shall I put it on hold?"

"No," Blair replied quickly, looking up at him. "It's too expensive. No one will get that for me."

With one last look at the necklace she already loved, Blair tore her eyes away and started looking at more reasonably priced items. After half an hour and finally choosing a few jewelries, Blair got back in the car and head towards her home. As she rode the elevator up to her suite, she flipped open her phone and messaged Chuck: 'where did you disappear over lunch?' As she walked to her door, a reply came back almost instantly. 'You were busy.' Sighing, Blair decided to change the subject and answered him. 'Are you coming tonight?' A moment later, his reply came. 'Do you want me to?'

_How could he think she didn't want him to come tonight after the past couple days?' Blair thought to herself and scoffed. 'Boys.'_

'Unless you have other plans,' she said to him and shut her phone just in time to see her mother rushing towards her.

"Blair, everything is set up for tonight and the caterers should be here soon," she said before wearing her overcoat.

"Mom, where are you going?" she asked worriedly. "The party starts in an hour."

"I'll be back for your festivities, don't worry," Eleanor exclaimed, heading towards the door. "I have a meeting and it can't wait."

Just like that, she disappeared. Hiding her disappointment, Blair head into her bedroom and flipped her phone open again. 'Wouldn't miss it.' With a smile on her face, she opened her rather large, walk-in closet door and stepped inside, unsure of what to wear. After twenty minutes, she finally decided on a short, black Gucci dress that was conventional enough to please her mother and sexy enough to please her. Serena was the first person who arrived, dressed in a black skirt and a gold top with her blond hair hanging loosely over her shoulders. Both girls went into her bedroom and finished Blair's hair and makeup.

"So Dan should be here soon," Blair commented, turning around to face her best friend.

"Yeah, he's bringing Vanessa too," Serena said, a bit of discomfort in her voice.

'Scandalous," Blair said, causing her friend to laugh.

"No, it's not like that," she replied. "He asked me first because he wants us to bond. I'm alright with it."

"You just made this an amusing night for me S," Blair exclaimed.

"You're one to talk B," Serena stated with a laugh. "Nate kept mentioning how you're going to take him back."

"I didn't say that," Blair corrected as the bell rang.

The girls got to their feet and began heading towards the door to answer it.

"I just told him to come tonight, that's all," Blair said before swinging the door wide open.

On the other side stood Dan and Vanessa, both slightly dressed up for the party, but staying true to their characters.

"Dan," Serena said, happily greeting her boyfriend with a kiss. "Hi Vanessa."

"Hi Serena," the other girl replied with a polite smile.

"Happy Birthday Blair," Dan said as Blair smiled at him. "Blair, this is Vanessa. Vanessa, meet Blair Waldorf."

"It's nice to meet you," Vanessa said as Blair returned the sentiment.

"Let's get a drink," Serena said, trying to break the tension and pulling her boyfriend with her.

Vanessa turned and followed them as Blair chuckled lightly to herself and shut the door. The four of them stood at the refreshment table conversing for ten minutes before the rest of the guests began pouring in. The party was officially supposed to start at eight o'clock and almost everyone was there…except for the very two people Blair wanted to attend. As Blair stood at the end of the room with her cell phone firmly in her hand, Kati and Isabel ran towards her rather excitedly.

"He's here," they said in unison before disappearing into the crowd.

An immediate smile emerged on her face as Blair rushed towards the front door. Who she saw left her disappointed.

"Hi Blair," Nate said, dressed in a cream-colored suit. "You look beautiful. Happy Birthday."

He then kissed her cheek and Blair forced herself to smile at him.

"I'm glad you could make it," she said.

"I'm glad you wanted me to come," Nate replied with a slight grin.

"So…did you come alone?" Blair asked, wanting to get information about someone else, but suddenly realized that she sounded jealous. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Chuck dropped me off," Nate responded, his smile never leaving his face.

Blair's face dropped and the disappointment she felt was evident on her face.

"He's not…coming?" she asked quietly.

"He said he had a few errands to run," Nate said before shrugging his shoulders and taking her hands in his. "I'm really glad I'm here, Blair. I have something special for you tonight. Save me a dance."

With that, he turned and walked into the crowd as Blair watched him go. Flipping her cell phone open, she was about to message Chuck when she quickly stopped herself. She wasn't about to let him know how upset she was that he wasn't coming to her birthday. Instead, she rather stubbornly shut her phone and walked over to Serena, pulling her onto the dance floor as fast music played in the background.

Around nine-thirty, slow music began playing to change things up a bit for the young lovers on the dance floor. Serena and Dan held onto one another tightly, wrapping their arms around the other's body as 'Truly, Madly, Deeply' by Savage Garden played. As Blair watched them almost sadly, a tap came on her shoulder and she turned around to see Nate.

"Will you dance with me?" he asked, extending his hand out to her.

Staring at him for a moment, she smiled slightly and accepted his hand. After all, Chuck was no where to be found and had not cared enough to show up. Nate was standing there in front of her, wanting to be with her. She was so confused these days, she could hardly think; but she took his hand and followed him onto the dance floor. Locking her hands behind his neck, she glanced to her left as they swayed from side to side to the slow beat of the music.

"Are you having a good time?" he asked, forcing her to face him.

"It's alright I guess," she replied. "I wish my mom was here."

"She's probably busy with work," Nate stated. "Don't let it get to you."

"It's my birthday. The one night a year I ask her to care," Blair began, but Nate quieted her down.

"I'm sure she has a good reason," he said and smiled. "I think you'll love the present I got you."

Blair secretly rolled her eyes at how easily he brushed aside her upset state. After another few seconds, the song came to an end and Blair offered him a fake, but believable smile before heading into her bedroom. She flipped open her phone and dialed her mother immediately, her back facing the door to her room. Eleanor answered after the fourth ring and Blair was able to hear laughter in the background.

"Mom?" Blair asked.

"Blair, what's the emergency?" Eleanor said into the phone.

"It's nine-thirty, where are you?" she asked.

"I'm busy Blair," Eleanor said rather grumpily. "If there's a point to your call, get to it."

"You promised me you'd be here," Blair said, her voice cracking and on the verge of tears.

"You're a big girl Blair," Eleanor said firmly.

"But it's my birthday," Blair whispered.

"And you'll get over it," Eleanor replied before hanging up.

Blair stood at the foot of her bed in shock as tears streamed down her cheeks. She immediately shut her phone and angrily tossed it onto her bed. As she stood there in silence, gently crying, she heard the song 'Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman' by Bryan Adams coming from outside. A few more seconds passed before two arms quietly crept around her waist and held onto her from behind. She was shocked at first, but the familiar scent eased her mind.

"Nate said you weren't coming," she said quietly. "I thought you had errands."

"You did want a birthday gift, didn't you?" Chuck said into her ear, his breath on her skin so close that it sent a chill down her spine.

Smiling softly at his words, she leaned back into his embrace and closed her eyes, taking comfort in the moment.

"I'm sorry about your mom," he suddenly said, which made her open her eyes in surprise.

"How did you know I was upset about that?" she asked, turning in his arms so she was facing him.

"When I got here a few minutes ago, I didn't see her so I assumed she was late," he began, still holding onto her. "Then I came in here and saw you crying with your phone on your bed. I assumed it was about your mom."

She smiled at how well he had pieced everything together and at how good he looked tonight. He was dressed in an all-black suit with a white tie, looking every bit like a gentleman.

"It's her loss," he said, moving his hand to her cheek to wipe her tears away with a soft caress.

She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. As the words to the song continued in the background, Blair placed the side of her face below his shoulder and tucked her hands between both of their chests, her eyes closed. Chuck stood frozen for a minute, the intimacy of the moment not lost on him. Unsure of what else to do, he wrapped his arms around her small frame and kissed her lightly on the cheek before closing his own eyes. They moved slowly to the quiet music, neither wanting to break away from the other. After what seemed like ages of being in each others arms, Blair leaned back and gazed into his soulful eyes. Slightly biting her lower lip, she leaned in and pressed her lips onto his. The moment was still and perfect before he held onto the sides of her face and intensified the kiss. Blair simply stood there and allowed him to take control of her mouth, wanting nothing more than to respond to the hunger of his kisses. His hands then moved from her face to the small of her back, pulling her in even closer towards his body while Blair buried her hands in his hair.  
She then moved backwards towards her bed and lied down, pulling him down with her so he was covering her body. Their kisses continued to intensify as she began pulling his tie open and off from around his neck. Tossing it aside carelessly, she began to unbutton his shirt, wanting nothing more than to feel closer to him. All of a sudden, the sound of her name being called reached their ears and they pulled away from one another.

"I don't care," Blair said, pulling his face back down to hers in another kiss.  
When the sounds grew louder, they both sighed in frustration.

"You should go," he said quietly.

Rubbing his face, Chuck crawled off of her and helped her to her feet.

"Are you coming?" she asked, straightening out her dress.

"Yeah, I'll follow," he replied.

Smiling at him, Blair leaned in and kissed him rather softly before turning around and heading out of her room. Standing alone in her bedroom, Chuck ran his hand through his hair in surprise at how deeply he felt for her. He had brushed off the feelings earlier, telling himself that they weren't real. But the site of her crying made him cringe inside and the feel of her skin under his made him feel like he was on fire. Grabbing the small gift bag that Blair had failed to see earlier, he placed it on her bed and secretly left the room. While everyone was gathered around Blair, singing happy birthday to her and serenading her with her birthday cake, Chuck quietly slipped out of the suite. As she closed her eyes to make a wish, his face appeared in her mind. Smiling after her wish, she blew out the candles and immediately looked for him. Realizing that he had left, the disappointment she felt earlier crept back into her mind.

"Blair," Nate called her name, getting her attention. "Happy Birthday."

In his hand was a ring box and Blair immediately knew what sat inside: his mother's antique family ring.

"Nate…," she began as the two of them moved off into a corner, away from everyone else.

He opened the box and revealed the very ring Blair knew she'd see.

"I wanted to give this to you," he said with a smile. "We were too quick to end things between us. We've been through so much together, Blair, and we love each other. And everyone expects us to be together anyway."

"Nate…," she began. "I can't accept this."

He was surprised by her answer and frowned. "Why not?"

"We don't love each other…not anymore," she said quietly. "Too much damage has been done to our relationship and I can't go back to that…or to us."

"But Blair…," he began, but she cut him off.

"We're over, Nate," she said firmly, but in a warm tone. "And I finally realized that tonight."

He stared at her for a long moment, stunned by her rejection. Nodding was his only response as he shut the ring box and turned towards the door. She watched him leave sadly, but knew deep down that she had made the right decision. After a lengthy celebration, everyone finally went home after midnight. Once she had ushered everyone out, Blair walked into her bedroom and glanced around herself before her eyes landed on the gift bag on her bed. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she removed the tag which showed the present was from Chuck and then took the jewelry box out of the bag. Opening it slowly, a gasp escaped her throat when she realized what he had gotten her. It was the same Cartier necklace she had seen earlier and had _not_ put on hold. Tears rushed to her eyes as she touched the diamond pendant almost nervously. Smiling happily, she walked to her closet and removed his jacket from the night before. Wearing the jacket and holding onto the jewelry box, Blair crawled onto her bed and quickly fell asleep. Back in Chuck's limousine, he removed a bottle of champagne and poured himself his third glass. He stared out of the window of the limousine, his mind racing with images of tonight and his heart beating quickly from feelings he never thought he'd feel.

_Can it be that notorious bad boy Chuck Bass is falling in love? It sure seems that way to me. Until next time, XOXO Gossip Girl._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V

Chuck awoke the next day with a major headache and an even worse hangover. A sudden pounding at his door caused him to groan loudly as he made his way out of his bed. He was dressed in the same clothes as last night and stumbled towards the door with tired eyes and messy hair. As he swung the door open, he was greeted with a smiling Blair, who was dressed in her school uniform with a black coat on top and a white scarf covering her neck.

"Blair?" he asked, blinking his eyes a few times to make sure she was really there. "What are you doing here?"

Glancing at the watch he still wore on his wrist, he looked back at her.

"It's six in the morning," he stated.

"Looks like someone had a late night," she exclaimed before barging in.

Taking a look around his place, she turned back to him as he closed his door.

"No one's here, Blair," he said softly, letting her know that he had spent the night alone.

"I wouldn't care if there was," she said firmly, her arms crossed at her chest. "Why'd you leave my party?"

"I wasn't in a festive mood," he replied and walked over to the kitchen counter.

"I thought you would stay," she said, her face betraying her and showing her disappointment.

Drinking a glass of water, he looked up at her and sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"A girl basically gives herself to you _twice_ and you leave or turn her down," she said with a scoff. "Are you sure someone didn't hit you over the head, Bass?"

"I'm sure," he replied with a small smile.

Realizing that she wasn't getting anywhere with him, Blair dropped her arms to her sides.

"Well, be assured that the events of last night will never repeat again," she expressed. "_That's_ why I came right now…to let you know that whatever it was between us the past couple days, is officially over."

With that, she came to walk to the door but he was faster and blocked her way, pulling her into a long kiss. When he pulled away, she pushed him forcefully into the door.

"Ouch!" Chuck exclaimed, touching the back of his head.

Breathing heavily, she stared at him angrily for a moment before pulling him to her and crushing her lips over his. She buried her hands in his hair as his hands traveled down her thighs and lifted her up off the ground, allowing her to lock her legs around his waist. As they continued kissing, he carried her into the bedroom and gently laid her down on the bed. Once they were both lying down, she pushed him down into the mattress and got on top of him, wanting to be in charge. He simply lied there and kissed her as her hands moved to his shirt and began unbuttoning it.

"Wait…," he said, pulling away from her and grabbing her hands.

"What?" she asked breathlessly as he somewhat sat up.

"Nate," he stated.

"I'm not with him anymore," she replied, shaking her head.

"But he's _my_ best friend," he reminded her. "I love him like a brother, Blair. Broken up or not, I can't do this to him."

"Since when did you get so noble?" Blair asked, leaning back and getting off of his legs.

"I'm _not_ noble," he replied and got to his feet. "I'm still me."

"The last few days, you seem to have gone through a transformation from an amoral, chauvinistic ass…," she began but he cut her off.

"I'm still amoral," he defended, causing her to laugh.

"And _now_…," she stated. "You're sweet."

Making a disgusted face, he looked away and groaned.

"You didn't just say that," he said, his behavior making her grin.

Getting on her knees on the bed, she placed her hands on his lower stomach and peeped up at him.

"Chuck?" she began with a smile. "Do you…_like_ me?"

"What?" Chuck asked in disbelief before laughing. "No. I don't _like_ anybody."

Realizing how uncomfortable she had made him, Blair laughed softly.

"Define 'like'," he finally said which made her grin grow wider.

With that, she pulled him back down on the bed on top of her and kissed him tenderly. With a groan, he turned onto his back so she was on top again and this time she sat on his legs, straddling him.

"Why is it that something that seems so weird, feel so good?" she asked, locking her fingers with his and pinning his arms down before kissing him.

He moaned quietly into her mouth which released a fire within her. Their kisses grew intense and passionate as he allowed her to take complete control over him. After another minute, he pulled away from her and they both breathed heavily. His eyes finally caught hold of something shiny around her neck. Pulling her scarf off, he revealed the necklace he had bought her last night.

"You're wearing it," he said with a smile before locking eyes with her. "Does that mean you like it?"

"I love it," she whispered before pressing her lips back onto his. "I can't believe you bought it for me. It was so expensive."

Touching the diamond pendant, he looked into her eyes.

"Something this beautiful deserves to be seen on someone worthy of its beauty," he replied as she smiled lustfully at him and kissed him again.

When they leaned back, he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Baby, let me talk to him first," he whispered, unaware of the intimacy in his words.

Leaning back, Blair smiled down at him before kissing him once more, only this time with tender and care. With that, she got off his legs and they both rose to their feet, fixing their clothes.

"I know you're right," she began as they moved into the living room. "Last night after you disappeared, he was talking about us getting back together. I told him no."

"Bold move," he exclaimed as she shook her head.

"No…this is," Blair said before kissing him again. "Maybe I should be there too. I mean…we were together for so long and I _do_ love him and care about him. I'm just not…_in_ love with him."

With that, she looked away as he smiled at her, unable to comprehend the intensity of what he was feeling for this girl…his best friend's girl. The idea brought him back to reality and he cleared his throat.

"I've know him longer Blair," he exclaimed. "It should come from me."

Nodding, she walked to the door and swung it open gently. "Call me after."

With that, she swung her hair behind her shoulder, held her head high and walked out. He watched her go with a chuckle before closing the door and heading back towards his bedroom. Just as his body hit the bed, his doorbell rang once more. Groaning softly, he jumped back to his feet and jogged to the door.

"Hey," Nate said, barging in rather hurriedly.

"Nathaniel," Chuck said with wide eyes.

Peeking into the hall for a slight second, he shut the door and faced his friend.

"It's six o'clock. What could you possibly need so early in the morning?" he asked.

"Blair," Nate replied, the single word causing Chuck to stop cold.

"What about her?" Chuck asked carefully, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Is she with someone?" Nate asked abruptly.

"What do you mean?" Chuck said, somewhat nervously.

"She is, isn't she?" Nate began. "Who is it? I know you know, Chuck. You know everything."

"I don't, man," Chuck lied. "But I'll find out."

With that, Nate rubbed his face and sighed.

"Do you love her?" Chuck suddenly asked.

"What?" Nate asked in confusion. "I…"

"Do you?" he repeated.

"We've been through so much together," Nate began, but Chuck cut him off.

"That's not what I asked," he said. "Are you _in_ love with her?"

"I'm…no," Nate finally confessed. "Don't get me wrong, I _do_ love her and I care about her so much. It's just that we've been together for so long. I don't know when I stopped."

"Then why do you want her back?" Chuck asked quietly.

After a long moment's pause, Nate looked up.

"Because of my dad," he stated, the response taking Chuck by surprise.

"What are you talking about?" he asked with a slight frown on his face.

"Keep this between us, alright?" Nate said in a serious tone.

"Nathaniel, I'm your best friend," he said, pointing to himself. "What is it?"

"My dad got arrested the other night," he began. "I told you about his drug problem, right?"

Chuck simply nodded in silence.

"Well, now he's also being charged with embezzlement and fraud," Nate expressed, a worried expression planted on his face. "Eleanor is about to back out of this deal with my dad because of everything. But if Blair and I are together, she'd be forced to go through with the deal and my dad would avoid jail and be able to fix things. He wouldn't have to face trial."

Chuck took a step back as Nate looked at him almost desperately.

"All I have to do is give Blair my family ring," he continued. "I tried to give it to her last night, but she rejected me."

"She did?" Chuck asked absently.

"That's why I think she's with someone," Nate exclaimed and approached him. "Please, Chuck. I need to help my family stay together."

"But if you don't really love her, it won't be fair to either of you," Chuck said quietly.

"We can build on what we already have between us," Nate said before the worry showed in his eyes once more. "It's my family, man."

Chuck stared at him for a long minute, the sadness in his own brown eyes apparent. Finally, he sighed and nodded.

"I'll take care of it," he replied quietly.

With a look of relief, Nate touched his best friend's shoulder gratefully and then walked out. Standing in silence, Chuck's eyes moved towards the alcohol stand. Moving towards it, he poured himself a glass of vodka and downed it easily. Placing his glass down, he glanced towards his bedroom where he and Blair had kissed in minutes ago. The memory of the feel of her skin beneath his felt so vivid that he thought she was touching him right then. Shaking the memories aside, he grabbed his suit jacket from the couch and walked out.

_What's our bad boy going to do? Is he going to give up the girl he's transforming for to help his best friend? And if he does, how is he going to break the news to Blair, who was seen leaving his hotel suite with a rather happy smile on her face a few minutes ago? Until next time XOXO Gossip Girl._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter VI

After first and second period were over, Blair dropped off her books in her locker and made her way towards the steps for lunch.

"Hey," Serena greeted her as she sat down.

"Hey, have you seen Chuck?" Blair asked, trying her hardest to sound casual.

"No, I haven't," she replied. "I can't believe you turned Nate down."

"I just can't see us together anymore," Blair replied before quickly adding, "At least not now."

"Wow. I never thought you'd leave him unless you met someone else," Serena exclaimed, her words causing Blair to look away. "Oh my God, you have!"

"What? No!" Blair said quickly.

"Yes you have!" Serena said with a laugh. "Who is he? Come on, B…you have to tell me."

"He's nobody because he doesn't exist," Blair stated firmly.

Frowning at her friend's stubbornness, Serena suddenly noticed Chuck making his way up the stairs towards them.

"There's Chuck," she exclaimed.

Blair's head immediately shot up and she locked eyes with him. He was dressed in the same clothes as the night before, the same clothes she had seen him in that morning. They smiled at one another, completely oblivious to a confused Serena.

"Hey van der Woodson," Chuck said, tearing his eyes away from Blair and tossing her a glance before passing them and going inside.

Blair's eyes followed him and finally turned back to Serena long after he was gone. Serena frowned at her for a long moment before suddenly piecing everything together.

"You and Chuck?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Shh," Blair quieted her. "Not so loud."

"You and Chuck?" Serena repeated, only this time in a whisper.

"Serena, you have to promise you won't say a word to anyone," Blair pleaded with her. "I mean it, not a word. Not until we've told Nate."

"Of course," Serena swore to her. "But Blair…Chuck Bass? I understand that you're frustrated and lonely, but Chuck? He's not exactly the most honest guy out there. He sleeps with almost every girl he meets and he's usually concerned about himself and no one else."

"Are you done?" Blair asked in return.

"Why?" Serena questioned her.

"Last week if you would have told me that I would be making out with Chuck and actually enjoying it, I would have laughed in your face and then sworn to make you pay simply for mentioning it," Blair began. "But he's not like that. He's so different with me. He's still a bit arrogant, but more in a playful way. He's sweet and kind and respectful."

"We are talking about the same person, right?" Serena asked incredulously. "The boy who's slept with half the girls in New York?"

"I know it's hard to accept, but you have to believe me. He's so sweet," Blair said with a soft smile. "For reasons that I haven't yet figured out, I think the way he portrays himself to everyone is just a facade. That's not who he really is."

"Have you ever considered the fact that maybe he's being so nice to you just so you'd sleep with him?" Serena asked.

"Then why would _he_ be the one who stopped us…twice?" Blair declared. "The night that Nate and I broke up, I went to Victrola to visit him. We had drunk a bit so he gave me a ride home and we began kissing in his limo. He stopped us before it got too far and walked me upstairs to my door. He even kissed me goodnight."

"I can't believe you're describing Chuck," Serena said in amazement. "What was number two?"

"What do you mean?" Blair asked.

"You said he stopped you twice," she reminded her friend.

"Oh," Blair said quietly. "I visited him this morning."

"Wow, I can't believe any of this," Serena said, the awe in her voice apparent. "Do you like him?"

A smile covered Blair's face and her eyes brightened. "Every time he kisses me, I feel as if I'm on fire. Serena, I've never felt this way before. In all the years I was with Nate, he never sent a chill down my spine with a single look.

"You really do like him," Serena said with a smile of her own.

"He makes me feel alive," Blair expressed. "I don't know if I can describe it."

"You just did," Serena replied. "Blair, as long as you're happy, then I'm happy for you…no matter who it's with."

"I _am_ happy," Blair responded, her gun widening. "Happier than I've been in such a long time."

Serena leaned in and hugged her best friend as both girls laughed.

"He said he was going to talk to Nate this morning," Blair stated with a sigh.

"I don't see Nate accepting this that easily," Serena expressed. "After all, you were his girlfriend for four years and Chuck's been his best even longer."

"He has to be okay with it," Blair stated firmly. "I've forgiven him for so many things when we were together."

All of a sudden, Chuck walked back out and head towards them.

"Hey," Blair said, getting to her feet. "You weren't in class today."

"Yeah, I had a few errands," he replied.

Smiling, she touched his hair with her hand. "Your hair is still messy like this morning."

"What are you doing?" he said, slightly pulling away from her and motioning Serena.

"She knows," Blair replied before placing her hands at his waist as Serena watched them in amusement. "I miss you."

"You just saw me a few hours ago," Chuck said, smiling back at her.

"I know," Blair said, closing the distance between them. "Can we see one another after school?"

He gazed at her for a long moment, his heart wanting nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her, but his mind reminding him of his conversation with Nate.

"Victrola at six," he finally said, wanting to take the words back as they left his mouth.

"I'll be there," Blair said, smiling at him.

With that, he pulled away from her and took a couple steps back. She noticed how strange and distant he was acting but before she was able to ask him about it, he began jogging off to his limo. Within a matter of seconds, he was gone.

"What was that all about?" Serena asked, she, too, noticing his strange behavior.

"I'm not sure," Blair replied as Serena rose to her feet.

"You guys seemed intimately close right now," Serena exclaimed with a grin.

"Shut up S," Blair replied as both girls walked off arm in arm.

When Chuck arrived back at his hotel, he was surprised to see Nate standing there waiting for him. The second he got out of the limo, Nate attacked him with full force, slamming him into the side of the vehicle.

"Nate, what the hell are you doing?" Chuck snapped at him, but the other boy was unwilling to let him go.

"You're the one with Blair?" Nate shouted into his face. "It's _you_?"

His driver quickly ran to them to pull Nate off, but Chuck motioned him to step back as people in the street watched them.

"Nate…," Chuck began, but his friend pulled back and punched his face.

Chuck groaned from the punch and pulled back, holding his hands up.

"I deserved that, I know," he said. "I'm sorry, man."

"Any other girl you could have had!" Nate snapped at him, clenching his fists. "Why Blair? All these girls in New York and you had to be with my girlfriend?"

"Ex-girlfriend," Chuck said quietly, which caused him to receive another punch. "Stop it, dammit!"

"Why her?" Nate repeated. "I trusted you, Chuck!"

"I didn't plan it, okay?" he began and sighed. "It just happened."

"You slept with her?" Nate shouted, ready to hit him again but Chuck pulled away.

"No!" he replied firmly as the people in the streets watched them in silence. "I didn't sleep with her."

"Then what? You're just waiting for the perfect opportunity to get laid?" Nate exclaimed.

"It's not like that, man," Chuck said sadly. "I think…I think I'm falling for her."

With that, Nate punched him again, only this time Chuck pushed him into the side of the limo and pinned him down, showing that he was physically stronger than him.

"I'm sorry," he said as Nate tried to push him off. "I'm _sorry_, Nate."

He then released him as both boys stared at one another.

"She may be having a hormonal meltdown, but whatever it is between you will never last!" Nate snapped angrily. "Blair will come to her senses and realize the kind of person you are. Then she'll come running back to me."

"But you said you don't even want to be with her," Chuck defended.

"I love her and I'll take care of her. I'm _good_ for her," Nate expressed. "You can't even keep your mother from leaving you."

"Don't you dare bring her into this!" Chuck snapped at him, his words slicing him emotionally.

"It's the truth, Chuck. Face it!" Nate snapped. "You were never good enough for your mom and you'll never be good enough for Blair!"

Chuck stood frozen with tears in his eyes, unable to believe how cruel Nate was being.

"I can't believe you just said that," Chuck said quietly.

Nate suddenly realized how much his words had hurt his friend and cleared his throat.

"If you ever want to make things right between us, you'll stop this thing between you too right now and make her take me back," he said firmly. "If you don't, I'll never forgive you for this."

With that, Nate turned and stormed off as Chuck watched him go in shock.

Suddenly realizing that everyone in the street was watching them, he turned and yelled at them. "Show's over people!"

With that, he touched the side of his face in pain and walked into his hotel where he was greeted by his father in the lobby.

"What else is new?" Victor said in disappointment, having seen everything.

With a shake of his head, he turned and walked out of the hotel. Chuck watched his father go with a scoff before heading towards the elevator. Once inside, he sank to the bottom and closed his eyes, burying his hands in his hair.

Blair couldn't wait until six o'clock. Changing into a black skirt and a silver top, she wore a thin black jacket on top and wore the necklace Chuck had bought her around her neck before making her way towards Victrola. Sitting inside at his regular table, Chuck sat with a sad look in his eyes and a drink in his hand. Sighing, he finished his drink and ran a hand through his hair, his eyes slightly glazed over.

"Hey baby," a young blonde exclaimed, sitting down next to him.

He turned his face to look at the dancer, his eye already starting to swell up from earlier.

"Why are you doing this if it hurts you this much?" she asked.

Without another word, he pulled the girl on to his lap and began kissing her. Outside, Blair's driver pulled to a stop and she got out with a smile on her face. Shutting the car door, she took a deep breath and made her way inside Victrola. Once she was inside, she looked around for him and what she saw made her stop cold. Her jaw dropped slightly and her eyes filled with tears at the image before her. Chuck and the blond were heavily making out in his booth, oblivious to the people around them. Blair stood frozen, unsure of what to do as her tears streamed down her cheeks. Without thinking, she marched straight towards them, grabbed Chuck's drink from the table and poured it on him.

"What the hell?" he snapped, pushing the girl off of his legs and jumping to his feet.

"You son of a bitch!" Blair snapped back. "How could you do this?"

"Do what?" Chuck asked, trying his hardest to sound uncaring.

"How can you be here…kissing her?" Blair cried.

"It's not like we were exclusive," Chuck said with a sly smile.

Seeing the pain in her eyes, he bit back the urge to reach out and comfort her.

"I knew it was a mistake from the beginning," she exclaimed. "How could I be so stupid to actually think that you gave a damn about me?"

"Listen…," he began, but she slapped him hard on his cheek.

"Why?" she screamed.

"Why what?" he asked, touching his cheek.

"Why did you stop us that night or this morning if all I was to you was another notch on your belt?" she snapped at him. "Why?"

"Does it matter?" he asked quietly, the sadness in his voice and his eyes finally showing.

"No, you're right. It doesn't matter," she said, taking a step back. "You're a heartless pig and you're the biggest mistake of my life. Stay the hell away from me!"

With that, she turned and marched out of the club as Chuck watched her go. The dancer he had been kissing walked up to him and sighed once she was gone.

"I hope she knows how much you love her," she exclaimed before walking away.

Chuck simply stood there in silence before his hand reached down and took hold of the alcohol bottle in front of him. Without a single care, he removed the lid and began drinking from the bottle. Outside, Blair ran out of the club with tears streaming down her cheeks. Ripping the necklace from around her neck, she tossed it carelessly onto the ground before jumping into her car. Moments after the car was gone, Chuck ran outside looking for her. Realizing she was gone, his eyes caught hold of the diamond necklace on the ground. Slowly picking it up, he touched the pendant tenderly before heading back into the club with his head cast down in sadness.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks 'AutumnSoleil' for letting me know I called Chuck's dad Victor LOL. Lots of CB angst is coming up but things will get better. You guys have been so great with the reviews. Thanks so much!

Chapter VII

When Blair arrived home, she immediately ran into her bedroom and fell onto her bed. Burying her face in her pillow, she began crying her heart out. Serena arrived minutes later to drop off one of Blair's books and she heard the crying coming from the bedroom. Heading towards it, she walked in and gazed at Blair sadly.

"B, what's wrong?" she asked, rushing to her side.

Sitting up, Blair pulled her into an embrace and began crying on her shoulder as Serena rubbed her back.

"Sweetie, what happened?" she asked worriedly.

Leaning back, Blair tried to wipe her tears away.

"I went to Victrola…," she began quietly. "He was with another girl…they were kissing."

"Oh sweetie," Serena said in sympathy. "I'm so sorry."

"How could I be so stupid?" Blair asked, directing the question more to herself than her friend. "I _knew_ what he was like but I was stupid enough to think he actually cared."

"It's not your fault," Serena tried to comfort her as Blair continued to cry.

"It shouldn't hurt this much," she said before lying back down on the bed and closing her eyes.

Serena was unsure of what to do to help her friend through this pain. She simply touched her shoulder and sat with her until Blair eventually quieted down and fell asleep. As soon as Blair had fallen asleep, Serena gathered her things and rushed out of the door. Catching a cab, she head straight towards Victrola. Once she arrived, she marched inside ready to confront Chuck, but what she saw made her slow down. Chuck was sitting at the bar with a drink in his left hand and his forehead resting on his right palm. He looked devastated and torn; definitely not what Serena was expecting to see. Sighing, she walked up to him and sat down.

"Why?" she said, the single word making him look to see who it was.

"Hey Serena," he said with a smile, sitting up with difficulty and showing that he was somewhat drunk. "What are you doing here?"

"Why'd you hurt her?" she asked firmly.

"Who?" Chuck asked in a serious tone, sipping his drink and looking away from her.

"Chuck, I have half a mind to kill you myself right now, but I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt," she stated.

"And why would you do that?" he asked.

"Because of how broken you look right now," Serena replied quietly.

Looking at her, Chuck sighed and finished his drink.

"Why'd you do it?" she repeated, suddenly noticing his swollen eye.

"Did Blair do that?" she asked.

"Nate did that," he corrected.

They sat in silence for a minute before he finally spoke up again.

"I've known Nate for such a long time," he began with a sad smile. "We've been best friends for over nine years and we've been there for each other through it all."

Serena sat patiently, giving him the chance to continue at his own pace.

"I wanted to talk to him about us…Blair and me," he continued. "I wanted to tell him how much I cared for this girl. But when I got to my place after lunch, he was already there waiting for me. We got into a tussle and he said he'd never forgive me unless I let her go."

"He was upset when he said that," Serena tried to defend. "He didn't mean for you to cheat on Blair. He would have forgiven you eventually."

"He visited me this morning before our confrontation. He told me that the only way his father would avoid prison would be if Eleanor were to go through with her deal and she was backing out because of the charges. But if Blair and Nate were to get back together, then she'd have to go through with the deal because of her daughter," he explained as Serena sighed in understanding. "He's my best friend…my brother. I can't lose him. He's the only family I've got. I owed him that much."

"Oh my God," Serena said quietly as she sat back slightly.

"So I did it for him. I ripped my own heart out and hurt Blair in the process, but I did it for _him_," Chuck continued before staring at his glass with a faraway gaze in his eyes. "You know what he said to me? When he confronted me? He said I wasn't good enough for my mom and I couldn't keep her from leaving so I'd never be good enough for Blair."

"He said it in the heat of the moment," Serena tried to explain, but he shook his head.

"You know what's funny? He doesn't even love Blair," Chuck said with a sad smile. "And you know what else is funny? His words hurt me more than my actions ever hurt him."

"What do you mean?" Serena began in confusion.

"You want to know what really happened to my mom?" he asked, his broken eyes staring into hers.

"She died in a car accident," Serena exclaimed but he shook his head.

"That's what my dad wanted everyone to believe," he replied and finished his drink.

"Chuck, what are you talking about?" Serena asked.

"I was eight years old and we lived in Albany. My soccer coach dropped me off at home after practice one day and when I went inside, I heard muffled voices coming from upstairs. I went upstairs and I saw…I saw my mom…"

"She was with someone else?" Serena asked with a frown, but he shook his head.

"There was a man on top of her…raping her," he explained.

Serena gasped lightly at the words and she realized the pain on his face as he told her the real story.

"I ran towards them and I tried to pry him off, but the guy was too big. He pushed me off with one hand and I hit the dresser, hitting my head. I was bleeding from the side of my face but I got up and tried to help my mom again. She kept screaming my name to make me stop, but I couldn't. She looked so vulnerable and hurt. She was my _mom_," he exclaimed sadly.

Tears formed in Serena's eyes as she listened to him silently. His eyes were cast on his empty glass, avoiding her eyes as he spoke.

"The guy grew tired of me, I guess, so he removed a knife and he stabbed me twice," he said before lifting the bottom of his shirt to reveal two stitches on his lower stomach.

"Oh my God," Serena said sadly. "You said you got that on a hunting trip."

"I lied," he said with a fake smile. "My mom kept screaming for me and managed to break free of the guy. She ran over to me and that's when I blacked out. I woke up in the hospital three days later with my mom sleeping in a chair by my side. They arrested the guy but to save my mom from having to deal with a bunch of questions, my dad paid the right people and they revealed to the press that the guy was being charged for breaking and entering. When we went home, I had lost the feeling in both of my legs so I had to take physical therapy to learn how to walk again."

"Chuck…," Serena cried, but didn't know what to say.

"My mom blamed herself for what had happened to me. She was really depressed and started talking medication. After a few weeks, I finally started walking again and when I got home with my dad after my session, we saw my mom lying in the bed with an empty pill bottle in her hand," he said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "They tried their hardest to revive her…but she was already gone. Every time my dad looks at me now, he sees my mom. A part of him blames me for what happened to her. That's why our relationship is as bad as it is."

Motioning for the bartender to pour him another drink, Chuck drank half of it and wiped the tears from his eyes before rubbing his face.

"When you're an eight year old kid, you kind of don't forget any of that," he said quietly.

"Chuck, I am so sorry," she exclaimed, placing her hand on his shoulder in comfort. "I never would have guessed."

"Like I said…my dad paid the right people," Chuck replied and looked at her. "Besides my dad and I, no one other than Nate knows. He knows how much losing my mom cost me. I tried talking to my dad about it at first, but he simply yelled at me and changed the subject so we'd never talk at all. I kept everything inside until a few years ago when I told Nate. It was such a lift off of my shoulders to talk about it with someone, but of course my dad overheard and he forbid us from discussing it any further. And so we didn't."

"That's why you go from girl to girl and can't commit to any relationship," Serena declared, her remark aimed at herself rather than him. "I can't believe this.

"Nate saw me cry for her all those years," Chuck replied, wiping his eyes again. "So when he said what he said today, it was as if someone had sliced me in half. It was the most painful and sensitive subject of my life and he threw it in my face."

Finishing his drink, he placed the glass down and buried his face in his hands, unable to hold the tears in any longer. Seeing him break down in front of her, Serena leaned in and embraced him tightly from the side.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered in his ears as he continued to cry. "Chuck, let me talk to Nate."

"No," he said, leaning back and shaking his head. "What's done is done. Just leave it be."

"Why do you have to be the bad guy in this?" she asked, staring into his red, blood-shot eyes. "All you did was fall for a girl that Nate's ignored all these years. He had no right to say what he did to you; I don't care how angry or betrayed he felt."

"Serena, let it go," he stated firmly. "Anyone who looks at me thinks I'm a self-absorbed jerk so this would be nothing new."

"Why do you always have to be made out as the villain? You're a good guy, Chuck," Serena declared in defense. "I always thought you had a good heart, despite how you treated people or acted. Nate's the one that's wrong here, not you."

When he remained silent, Serena pushed on.

"I just came from seeing Blair. She was crying so hard," she exclaimed.

Chuck shut his eyes and cringed at the thought.

"It's not as if we were in love. It had only been going on for a few days," he stated, trying to make light of the feelings they felt for one another.

"Chuck, the two of you have been into one another for so long," Serena said, her words making him frown. "Whenever you began your playful, flirtatious banter, it was as if no one else was in the room…including _Nate_. You do love her, I can tell by the broken look in your eyes right now. And I know she loves you too. She wouldn't be hurting this much if she didn't."

"Serena…," he tried, but she was on a roll and wanted to get everything out in the open.

"Four years she was with _him_, and she only cried after he and I…," she said, her sentence running off. "Three days and I've never seen her cry this much over anyone. She loves _you_, Chuck. Go to her and tell her the truth. Tell her everything you told me."

"The damage has already been done," he replied.

"It can be undone," Serena said firmly. "Chuck, I know that you and I haven't been the best of friends over the years, but I hope you know that I _do_ care about you. And I care so much about Blair. She's my best friend and she's hurting right now over you. Go to her and tell her everything."

"So Nate's dad could go to jail?" he asked angrily. "So I'm supposed to choose the girl I love over my best friend?"

Serena smiled sadly for he had just admitted that he loved Blair even though he didn't realize it himself.

"Nate's wrong, Chuck," she tried for the last time, but it was useless.

"I made my choice," he said and got to his feet. "Not a word of this leaves this room."

With that, he grabbed his jacket and left the club as Serena watched him go. Once he was gone, she turned back to the empty glass and sighed.

_Chuck Bass...the notorious bad boy who lives life on the edge, is actually a heartbroken boy who has been through the worst pain of all…losing a loved one in such a tragic way. Knowing everything she does, will Serena simply sit back and let this love go to waste? Or is she going to be the one to finally knock some sense into Nate? XOXO, Gossip Girl_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter VIII

Friday was a terrible day for Blair for she would have to face Chuck in first period. A part of her prayed that he would forego his education for the day and not attend school. But her prayers were left unanswered when she walked into class and saw Chuck sitting in his normal seat. He was unshaven and looked incredibly tired as he sat with his forehead resting in his palm, his eyes still swollen from Nate's punches. Taking a deep breath, she made her way to her seat as he finally looked up, noticing her. His eyes were red and seemed worn-out, but she ignored them and sat down. She had noticed his swollen eyes, but told herself secretly not to care where he received the bruises. He stared at her back for a long minute before tearing his eyes away and looking down at the blank notebook in front of him. Blair turned to her side and smiled at Serena who returned the sentiment. When Blair faced the front of the class again, Serena glanced back at Chuck and saw the pain in his eyes. All of a sudden, Nate walked into the class and saw the three quiet people. Chuck avoided him, Serena appeared angry and Blair smiled up at him brightly.

"Hi Nate," she said loudly, her defense wall built back up around her.

"Hey Blair," he said, keeping his eyes on Chuck who refused to look at him.

"Listen, can we talk after class?" she said with a fake smile. "There's something really important that I want to tell you."

"Sure," he replied before sitting down.

Serena scoffed quietly at him in disbelief as Blair tossed her a glance, but she remained quiet.

"Hey Nate," Blair said as he turned to face her. "I was thinking…do you want to go out for dinner tonight?"

Chuck closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands, trying hard not to listen to them. Nate tossed a glance at Chuck, realizing that he had ended things with Blair, and turned back to her with a smile.

"Yeah, I'd love to," he said.

"Great," Blair said, trying her hardest to sound happy. "I was thinking we could go to that restaurant we went to for our anniversary last year. That was such a good night."

"Yeah, I know," Nate agreed as Serena glanced back at Chuck who ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

"We had a great dinner and slow danced to our song," Blair continued, hoping that she was hurting Chuck, even if it was just a little.

"Then we kissed…," Nate added, but this was the last straw for Chuck.

Getting up in frustration, he grabbed his books and stormed out of class.

"Mr. Bass, where do you think you're going?" Mrs. Peters asked in a strict voice.

But he didn't reply as he waked out. Blair watched him go with a small satisfactory smile, but inside she was hurting. A part of her didn't want to hurt him, but after what he had done to her, she wasn't about to forgive him anytime soon. Serena sat back in her chair and sighed as Nate cleared his throat quietly. Once he was outside, Chuck walked past his driver.

"Mr. Bass, where are you going?" the driver asked.

"Just leave me alone for a while," he said, walking off school grounds.

After class was over, Blair got her things together and came to follow Nate out of the room.

"Are you coming?" she asked as Serena faced her.

"No. Why don't you and _Nate_ just go," Serena said somewhat angrily, glancing at Nate who stood at the doorway, out of hearing range.

"What's with the attitude?" Blair asked. "I'm the one who was hurt by that jerk, not you."

"You don't know everything, Blair," Serena began.

"I know that Chuck's an ass who led me on only to cheat on me," Blair snapped. "That's all I _need_ to know."

Wanting nothing more than to reveal the truth to her best friend, Chuck's words _'Not a word of this leaves this room'_ kept going through her mind.

"Nothing," she finally lied. "I'm sorry."

Confused by her friend's strange behavior, Blair walked towards Nate and took his arm in hers as they left the classroom together. Serena followed them into the hallway and watched as they walked off together laughing. After lunch period was over, Serena was heading towards her Art class when she noticed Chuck sitting by himself in the back courtyard, his back leaning against the wall of the school. Walking in his direction, she sat down next to him and offered him a supportive smile.

"How could I feel so strongly for her?" he asked aloud after a while. "Did you see them? It's as if nothing ever happened."

"Blair's just being defensive. As far as she knows, you cheated on her," Serena defended. "She doesn't know the whole truth."

"Everyone looks at Nate and they see the good guy. The devoted son, loving boyfriend, straight-A student," he began. "They look at me and they see a pompous, self-absorbed rich kid who gets into fights and doesn't give a damn about his father or anyone else."

"I don't see that," Serena began as he turned to face her. "I see a good guy who's had his heart broken too many times. I look into your eyes and behind all the money and the charm I see real pain and hurt."

He smiled sadly at her before changing the subject.

"How are you and Humphrey doing?" he asked.

"Don't change the subject," she told him.

"Please," he pleaded with her and she gave in.

"We're doing alright," she said, smiling softly. "I care about him so much more than I ever thought I would. I love him."

"I'm happy for you, van der Woodson," he said as she laughed lightly. "I mean, even though I think there's better fish in the sea, I'm happy for you."

"Good to see your sense of wit is still intact," Serena said in reply. "So what do you say? Care to give Mr. Heller's Art class a try?"

Smiling, he took her hand and they rose to their feet. As they began walking inside, they stopped in their tracks when they saw Blair and Nate in the hallway ahead of them. When Blair noticed them, she quickly pulled Nate towards her and kissed him deeply. Everyone, including Nate, was shocked by her sudden move. Chuck watched them with his jaw slightly opened, the pain of seeing them together hitting him instantly. Without another word, he turned around and walked out of the school as Serena watched him go helplessly. Turning back, she began marching straight towards them as Blair said a nervous goodbye to Nate and ran off to class.

"The least you could do is kiss when he's not watching," Serena exclaimed angrily, stopping in front of him.

"So how long have you known that my best friend was making out with my girlfriend behind my back?" Nate asked in return.

"I found out about the same time you did," she replied. "I also found out what an asshole you are."

"What?" Nate asked incredulously. "_He's_ the one who started this!"

"What are we, five years old?" Serena demanded. "He _loves_ her! You don't, Nate. You're just doing this to help your dad."

"I guess Chuck told you everything," Nate expressed. "Anything else he's sharing with you?"

Serena realized the meaning behind his words and slapped him hard on his cheek.

"You were broken up, Nate, and as far back as I remember, you were a terrible boyfriend to Blair. You cheated on her with _me_, remember?" she exclaimed. "And now you're using her again to help your family."

"So what do you expect me to do? Sit back and let Chuck steal Blair right from under my nose when my back was turned? Or should I sit back and let my dad go to jail when I could prevent it all from happening?" Nate snapped back at her.

"What you could have done is not throw his mother's death in his face," she said, her voice calming down but the anger still apparent.

"What are you talking about?" Nate asked with a frown.

"'You weren't good enough for your mother'?" Serena repeated. "I just heard the whole story about Chuck's mom yesterday but even I can see that he blames himself for her death. How could you take something so painful and throw it in his face like that? You, more than anyone, know how horrible it must have been for him, Nate. How could you be so heartless and inconsiderate?"

"_He's_ the one who was inconsiderate when he decided to be with Blair behind my back," Nate defended. "I don't care how you try and spin it. He's the one at fault."

Sighing in disbelief, she turned and walked off, leaving him standing alone in the hallway. The drive home took much longer than usual due to heavy traffic. When Chuck finally arrived at the hotel, he barged into his suite to see his father hanging up the phone.

"I just received a call from your school," Bart began, noticing his son's devastated form. "They said you walked out of class."

"I wasn't in the mood," Chuck replied, heading straight towards the alcohol stand.

"Lay off the scotch, would you?" Bart said firmly.

Sighing, Chuck turned towards his father. "Why can't we talk about her?"

"What are you talking about?" Bart asked with a frown.

"Mom!" he exclaimed sadly. "Why can't we talk about mom?"

"Be quiet!" Bart warned him, pointing his finger at his son.

"Why?" Chuck pushed on. "Not talking about her won't bring her back."

"Not another word," Bart said, trying to put an end to the conversation.

"God dammit dad, I know you miss her!" Chuck snapped. "You lost your wife and I know that's painful…but I lost my _mom_. I was eight years old and _I _walked in on her being raped, not you. She killed herself because of her guilt over _me_, not you! How do you think _I_ feel?"

"Shut up!" Bart exclaimed, walking up to his son angrily.

"Dad, please," Chuck pleaded with him when Bart suddenly hit Chuck across his cheek, sending him onto the ground on his back.

Father and son stared at one another in shock as Chuck slowly rose to his feet. Bart stared at his hand and then back at his son, unable to believe what he had just done.

"Charlie…," he expressed, saying his son's real name. "Charlie, I'm so…"

"Don't!" Chuck exclaimed angrily. "Only mom called me that! Don't you dare say that name!"

"Son, I'm sorry," Bart began sadly, walking up to him but Chuck pulled away.

"Get out," he said quietly, the tears in his threatening to fall.

Knowing that his presence was simply angering his son more, Bart grabbed his coat and quickly left the suite. Chuck rubbed his eyes before making his way towards his balcony. Stepping outside, he stared at the ground below from the thirtieth floor. As his hands grabbed hold of the rail, he leaned forward and for a moment, a thought appeared in his mind. Shaking his head to rid his mind of such thoughts, he backed up into the room and slid the balcony door shut. Heading towards the alcohol, he stared at it for a moment before grabbing a bottle of vodka and sinking down in his couch. He stared at the bottle for a long time, wanting nothing more than to consume the alcohol but reminding himself that it would only be a temporary relief. Finally deciding against it, he pushed the bottle away and closed his eyes.

That night, Blair had worn one of her best outfits, a black skirt and a white blouse, and had met Nate in the lobby for their date. She had fixed her hair and done her makeup perfectly and when she saw him, he looked incredibly dashing. They had ridden in the car in silence and once they had reached the restaurant, Nate had been a gentleman by opening the door for her and pulling out her chair. Once they had ordered their dinner, Blair gazed at him from across the candlelit table. She tried her hardest to enjoy the evening, but something felt missing to her. After their dinner, they had moved to the dance floor and began slow dancing to the beautiful ballads playing in the background. As Blair held onto him, she couldn't help but feel pain inside her heart. He was not who she wanted to be with, nor whose arms she wanted to be in. Chuck's face kept appearing in her mind despite her best efforts to forget him.

After the night was over, he had driven her home and had walked her to her door. Once there, Nate leaned in and kissed her. Blair put everything she had into the kiss, but she still felt indifferent when they leaned back. She ignored such thoughts and blamed them on the short separation she and Nate had been through. Opening the door, she invited him inside for a drink and he gladly followed her. As they closed the door, Eleanor made her way towards them and was shocked to see Nate with her daughter.

"Nate," she began. "This is a surprise. I thought you and Blair broke up."

"It was a mistake," Nate said, draping his arm around Blair's shoulders and smiling at her.

She managed a small smile in return when he leaned down and kissed her goodnight.

"Goodbye Mrs. Waldorf," he said before turning around and walking out.

Leaning his back on the door, a part of him hoped that Eleanor would seal the deal now that he and Blair were back together and get everything over with. Another part hated himself for using Blair the way he was. Sighing, he rubbed his face and head towards the elevator. Inside, Eleanor faced her daughter with her arms crossed at her chest.

"So you're back together with Nate?" she asked firmly.

"I guess so," Blair replied with a confused expression on her face. "Goodnight."

Before her mother could say anything else, Blair left her presence and walked into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Eleanor stared at her daughter's door for a long moment before heading towards the phone.

……Blair felt someone touching her arm so she slowly opened her eyes to see Chuck sitting next to her on the bed.

"What are you doing…?" she began, but he cut her off with a long kiss.

"I made a mistake," he whispered, caressing her face gently.

"Do you expect me to just forgive you?" she demanded.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "I just wanted you to know that I love you."

Blair's eyes widened at his words and a smile reached her lips.

"What did you say?" she asked him.

"I said I love you," he repeated, gazing into her eyes. "I'm so sorry for hurting you."

Looking into his eyes, she knew that he honestly regretted hurting her. Bringing his face to hers, she leaned back onto her bed and pulled him with her, kissing him tenderly.

"Is this real?" she asked as he kissed her forehead.

"Every bit of it," he replied before kissing her again……

Opening her eyes, Blair awoke from her sleep and ran a hand through her hair, realizing that it was all a dream.

_We'll do it all,  
Everything,  
On our own._

We don't need,   
Anything,  
Or anyone.

Sitting back in her bed, she stared outside her window at the starry sky, the sadness in her eyes never leaving.

_If I lay here,  
If I just lay here,  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?_

As Serena head inside her hotel, she stopped and looked up at the sky for a moment, focusing her attention on a single bright star. Smiling slightly, she turned and walked in.

_I don't quite know,  
How to say,  
How I feel._

Those three words,  
Are said too much,  
They're not enough.

Across the city in Brooklyn, Dan closed Jenny's bedroom door quietly before heading into his own room to sleep. Stopping at his window, he looked up at the sky and smiled, thinking about Serena.

_If I lay here,  
If I just lay here,  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?_

Forget what we're told,  
Before we get too old,  
Show me a garden that's bursting into life.

At the Archibald residence, Nate walked inside his living room where his parents were sipping wine.

"It's done," he said quietly before heading towards his bedroom, leaving his confused parents behind.

_Let's waste time,  
Chasing cars,  
Around our heads.  
_

Once there, he removed his jacket, tossed it on his bed and walked towards his _  
_ window. Staring up at the sky, he took a deep breath before turning in for the night.

_If I lay here,  
If I just lay here,  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?_

Forget what we're told,  
Before we get too old,  
Show me a garden that's bursting into life.

At one of his hotel lobbies, Bart Bass sat at the bar and sipped his drink, the dread of hitting his son showing on his face.

_All that I am,  
All that I ever was,  
Is here in your perfect eyes; they're all I can see.  
_

Back in Blair's bedroom, she rose to her feet and walked towards the window. Staring up at the sky, she wrapped a blanket around herself and sighed, leaning her head against the glass.

_I don't know where,  
Confused about how as well,  
Just know that these things will never change for us at all._

Standing in his balcony, Chuck stared up at the same sky in silence, the events of the day gradually taking its toll on him. With his hands in his pockets and a defeated expression on his face, he dropped his head and slowly walked back into his suite.

_If I lay here,  
If I just lay here,  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?_

- The song is "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter IX

Blair woke up from her nap during the middle of the day with a soaked pillow from crying the previous night. A few days ago, everything in her life seemed so good and right. She had finally gotten enough courage and self-respect to break up with Nate and had believed that what she and Chuck shared was the beginning of something new and amazing. But here she was a week later, getting ready for her Debutante Ball and her date was none other than Nate Archibald. Why did it seem like everything in her life was going wrong these days?

Sighing, she slipped into her white cotillion dress while her hair hung loosely over her shoulders. Her dress was long and hugged her thin waist before flowing down, giving her an angelic look. A ring came on her door bell and Blair turned towards it. The back of her dress had not been zipped up yet but she walked towards the door regardless. Swinging it open, she was surprised to see Nate standing on the other side. Even though she knew that he was her date for the evening, a part of her still wanted Chuck to be standing in front of her. He was dressed in a black tuxedo, holding a red rose out in front of him.

"Wow," he said with a smile. "Blair, you look beautiful."

"Thanks," she said, taking the rose with a small smile. "You're early. I'm not ready yet."

"That's alright. I'll wait," he said, walking inside.

Blair shut the door behind him and was surprised to feel his hands on her back, zipping her dress up.

"Thanks," she said quietly before rushing inside her bedroom.

Once inside, she leaned her back on her door and exhaled slowly. After another twenty minutes, she was finally ready and the two of them left her home with Eleanor. Getting inside their limousine, they sat in silence as the driver pulled up to the ballroom. Getting out, Eleanor immediately walked to their table as Blair and Nate head towards Serena, who was dressed in a long, cream cotillion dress with spaghetti straps.

"Blair!" she exclaimed, hugging her friend tightly. "Sweetie, you look amazing."

"So do you," Blair replied, smiling at Serena who had elegantly tied her hair up for the evening.

"Hi Serena," Nate said quietly as she gave him a slight nod.

"So we're seated at the same table with Dan," she exclaimed, pointing in a direction behind her. "Chuck's name is also on the table."

Nate bit back his anger as Blair cleared her throat.

"Let's go sit," she said, pulling Serena with her ahead of Nate. "Have you seen him?"

"He's not here yet," Serena replied quietly. "Listen, Blair, he may want to talk to you tonight. Please let him talk."

"Why would I do that?" Blair asked firmly.

"Just do it for me," Serena exclaimed. "Please hear him out."

When Blair finally nodded at her, Serena turned to face her boyfriend, who was dressed in a black tuxedo. Kissing her lightly in greeting, Dan pulled her chair out for her as she smiled and sat down. Nate then pulled Blair's chair out for her next to Serena and then he sat down on her left. Jenny sat on Dan's right while Eleanor, Nate's parents, Bart, Lilly and Rufus sat on the adjacent table. After another five minutes passed, Chuck entered the ballroom dressed in a tailored black tuxedo. His hair had been gelled back and he had shaved for the occasion. As he made his way towards his table, his eye first caught hold of his father, who offered him a small smile. Averting his gaze, Chuck cleared his throat and turned towards his own table, where everybody stared at him. Sighing, he took his seat next to Jenny and turned his attention away from everyone. Serena stared at him with sympathy while Nate stared at his plate and Blair secretly gazed at him. As the event finally went underway, the young girls were called upon the stage one by one where they were introduced to the crowd. They were then escorted onto the dance floor by their dates.

"Serena van der Woodson," the host expressed midway through the night as Serena took her place on the stage. "Daughter of Lilly van der Woodson."

As Serena smiled at the crowd, everyone applauded her. Lilly gazed up at her daughter proudly as Rufus placed a hand on her shoulder and they shared a smile.

"Escorted by Daniel Humphrey," the host stated as Dan walked up the five steps and bowed in front of her.

They smiled at one another as she placed her arm in his and they walked down the steps together.

"You look so beautiful," he said as she smiled at him. "I really wish people wouldn't call me Daniel."

Serena let out a small laugh as they walked across the dance floor and stood side by side, facing the stage.

"Blair Waldorf," the host expressed as Blair took a deep breath and walked onto the stage.

She smiled at everyone in the crowd before her eyes landed on Chuck. The sadness she saw in his brown eyes made her breath get caught in her throat.

"Daughter of Eleanor Waldorf," the host continued, his words pulling her out of her daze. "Escorted by Nathaniel Archibald."

She watched at Nate made his way up the stairs and bowed in front of her. As she took his arm in hers and they walked down the steps, she couldn't help but stare at Chuck. Once they were standing next to Serena and Dan, they waited in silence as the other girls made their debut.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the debutants of 2007," the host exclaimed at the end as everyone applauded loudly.

A slow ballad began playing in the background as the couples began waltzing. Chuck's eyes followed Blair sadly across the floor as Nate twirled her around. Blair noticed his eyes on her the entire time and the intensity of his gaze it made her extremely uncomfortable. After the first dance was over, Nate went to get them two glasses of champagne while Blair made her way towards their table.

"Stop looking at me," she said quietly as Chuck looked up at her.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "You look gorgeous."

Blair smiled slightly at his words but then remembered the events of the past few days. "No! You do not get to say that to me. You had your chance and you blew it."

Getting to his feet, Chuck pulled her close to him and placed his lips behind her ear.

"I never wanted to hurt you," he said before pulling away from her walking off, disappearing into the crowd.

Blair watched him leave, his whisper leaving her in a tremble. When she faced the table again, she saw Nate heading towards her with a frown.

"Blair, are you alright?" he asked, handing her a glass.

"I need a breather," she said, placing the glass down and rushing outside.

Nate came to follow her, but Serena firmly held him back. "Let her be."

"She's upset," he said.

"That's right, she is," Serena agreed. "She's upset because Chuck hurt her. And he hurt her because _you_ made him do that."

"She doesn't know that I…," he began, but she cut him off.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe," Serena said with a disgusted sigh before walking off.

Outside, Blair held onto the railing of the patio that was beautifully lit with lights. Taking a deep breath, she tried her hardest to calm her nerves before eventually heading back inside. Swearing to herself that she would avoid Chuck for the rest of the evening, she pulled Nate onto the dance floor and began moving to the beat of the song playing, much to his surprise. The night continued with a mixture of slow ballads and faster, more modern songs. When "I Will Always Love you" by Whitney Houston began playing, Nate had gone outside to make a phone call. Blair stood at the edge of the floor and watched as the other couples embraced one another tightly. All of a sudden, a hand gently took hold of hers and before she knew it, Chuck had pulled her onto the dance floor.

"What are…?" she began, but he placed his finger on her lips, quieting her.

"Just dance," he whispered.

Blair stared at him for a moment, but finally gave in and held onto his body as they slowly moved to the song.

_If I  
Should stay  
I would only be in your way  
So I'll go  
But I know  
I'll think of you every step of  
the way_

He placed his hands on the small of her back, slowly pulling her in closer to him as she tightened her hands behind his neck.

_And I...  
Will always  
Love you,  
Will always  
Love you_

As they gazed into one another's eyes, the rest of the couples around them blurred out of their vision. They only saw each other.

_You,_

_My darling you  
Mmm-mm  
Bittersweet  
Memories  
That is all I'm taking with me.  
So good-bye  
Please don't cry  
We both know I'm not what you  
You need._

Blair moved her hands from behind his neck until they were on his chest, their gaze never wavering. He moved his hands up her back before resting on her face, caressing her cheeks gently.

_And I...  
Will always love you  
I...  
Will always love you  
You, ooh_

He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling at her with a lusty gaze as she gazed at him intensely.

_I hope  
life treats you kind  
And I hope  
you have all you've dreamed of.  
And I wish you joy  
and happiness  
But above all this  
I wish you love_

She placed the side of her head on his shoulder as he embraced her tightly, rubbing her back in an intimate way. Burying one of his hands in her hair, he pressed his face into the side of her neck, bringing them even closer together.

_And I...  
Will always love you  
I...  
Will always love you_

_I..._

_Will always love you_

Leaning back, they gazed into one another's eyes in silence, their feet unable to move anymore as they stood frozen.

_I will always love You_

_I will always love you_

_I will always..._

_Love..._

_You._

"Blair…," he began quietly as she smiled at him, lost in the moment they were sharing and oblivious to the fact that Serena was smiling happily at them and that Nate was standing to the side in anger.

_You,_

_Darling I love you_

_Oh I'll always,_

_I'll always,_

_Love you._

"There's something I wanted to tell you," he began just as the song came to an end.

"What is it?" she asked, drawing closer to him as he gazed at her mouth.

All of a sudden, Nate pulled Chuck off of her rather violently, causing a scene on the dance floor as everyone stopped and watched them. Bart quickly rose to his feet and walked towards them.

"What's going on here?" he demanded, staring at Nate who pushed Chuck again.

"Nate, stop it!" Blair exclaimed.

"Get off of my girlfriend!" Nate snapped at Chuck who took a step back. "How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from her? Why don't you just go back to that whore from Victrola I saw you with?"

"What?" Chuck asked with a frown when all of a sudden, the dancer that Chuck had kissed a few days ago walked up to them, dressed in a short skirt and a top. "What are you doing here?"

"You brought her here?" Blair asked in shock. "You danced with me while you were here with _her_?"

"No, Blair, wait…," he began and reached out for her but she pulled away from him.

"Don't you dare touch me," she warned him.

"Blair, I'm not here with _her_," he tried to explain.

"Let's get out of here," she said, turning to Nate.

"No! Don't go with him!" he exclaimed. "Blair, he cheated on you!"

"So did you!" she snapped back. "At least I forgave _him_."

"Look, please can we just go outside and talk?" he asked her.

"No," she replied bitterly. "As far as I'm concerned, you are the worst mistake of my life and if there's one thing I could ever take back, it would be that night at Victrola when we kissed."

He stared at her for a long moment, her words hurting him deeply.

"I'm sorry you think that," he said before walking off.

Blair watched him go sadly when Eleanor suddenly came in front of her, demanding answers. Sighing quietly, Serena kissed Dan's cheek and quickly ran off after Chuck.

"Blair, what is going on?" she asked in a strict tone.

"Nothing," Blair replied angrily before running off in the opposite direction, followed closely by Nate.

"Blair!" he said, catching up to her and cutting her off.

"Just let me go, please," she pleaded with him, tears forming in her eyes.

"No," Nate said, pulling her into a surprise kiss.

Outside, Chuck ran a hand through his hair as Serena placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Go back in there," she said as he faced her. "Don't let her go."

Smiling at her gratefully, he head back inside the ballroom with Serena directly behind him. As he searched around for them, they finally head towards the hall and he stopped cold when he saw Blair and Nate making out. Taking a couple steps back, he turned and slowly walked off as Serena stood there in one spot, unsure what to do. As she faced the two of them once more, she saw Blair push him off of her.

"Nate, stop it," she said as he stepped back.

"Don't you want to be with me?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "I'm just so confused."

"Well he won't bother you again," Nate exclaimed as she looked up at him with a slight frown.

"How did you know that he and I were together?" she asked, catching onto something he had let slip moments ago.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You just told him 'how many times do I have to tell you to sty away from her," she reminded him. "Nate…how long have you known?"

"A few days," he replied.

"Are you the one who gave him the swollen eye?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Blair, it drove me crazy thinking that my best friend was with my girlfriend!"

"Ex-girlfriend," Blair defended.

"It doesn't matter. There are certain lines that you don't cross in friendships and he crossed one," Nate stated. "Look, everything is finally good again. My dad's charges are being dropped, he and your mom have their deal back on the table and you and I are together. Everything is the way it should be."

Blair looked down for a moment as neither noticed Serena standing there, watching and listening to their conversation. Her head then suddenly shot up as she moved slightly away from Nate.

"Your father's charges are being dropped?" Blair asked in surprise.

"Yeah," he said with a smile.

"But how? I thought that the charges were serious," she said with a frown.

"They were, but because he managed to get a few deals to go through, he was able to pay back most of his debts," Nate explained. "Let's not worry about any of that. We should…"

"No," Blair said, moving slightly away from him. "The only deal your dad has right now is with my mom and my mom had pulled away because of everything."

Serena smiled at her friend and walked off, realizing that she was piecing things together.

"Oh my God," Blair exclaimed as everything suddenly dawned upon her. "Did you get back together with me so my mom would let the deal go through?"

'Blair, none of that matters…," he started to say, but she cut in angrily.

"It matters to me!" she snapped at him.

When he didn't respond, she knew what the answer was. As she looked away in surprise, the final part of the situation hit her.

"Did you tell him to break up with me?" she quickly asked.

"I…," Nate began, but was unable to say anything.

"You did, didn't you?" she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You forced Chuck into choosing between me and you, didn't you? Tell me the truth!"

"My family was in trouble, Blair," he tried to defend himself but she pulled away from him in shock.

"Did it ever occur to you what you'd be putting me through?" she asked, her voice showing her pain. "Your father is a grown many who made his own choices. What did I ever do to you?!"

"I'm so sorry," he began and came to hold her, but she forcefully pushed him back.

"So all this time, Chuck was doing this for you…so you'd forgive him," she expressed. "You are an unimaginable bastard, Nate."

"Blair…," he tried again, but she yanked her hand away from him.

"Get away from me," she said before running back into the ballroom and heading straight for Serena. "Do you know where Chuck is?"

"He came back for you but he saw you and Nate kissing," Serena explained, getting to her feet from her seat.

"But that was a mistake," Blair exclaimed. "I know what Nate did."

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but he left," Serena replied.

Without another word, Blair began running directly for the exit as Nate slowly walked back inside the auditorium.

"Are you happy now?" he asked her as she shook her head.

"No," she replied. "You're my friend and I care about you, but sometimes you can be such a jerk."

"Well, she left me…for him," he said, looking down.

"You never thought she'd piece it together, did you?" she asked as he looked away from her. "You always underestimated her, Nate."

With that, she sighed and walked towards Dan, embracing him tightly.

"Promise me we'll never end up like that," she pleaded with him. "Miserable and alone."

He leaned in and kissed her in reply, which seemed to calm down her nerves. Nate sighed heavily and fell back into his seat as an equally surprised Bart and Eleanor sat down next to one another. As Blair sat impatiently in the backseat of her car, her driver moved towards Chuck's hotel. Stepping out of his hotel, he stopped at the bellman George and extended his hand to the confused man. "I just wanted to say goodbye," he said with a sad smile.

George shook the young boy's hand and returned the smile. "May I ask where you're going?"

Sighing, Chuck shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. But there's nothing left for me here."

"Forgive me for asking, but what about a certain brunette young lady?" George continued.

Smiling, Chuck shook his head. "You can't stay for someone you can't have."

With that, he turned and walked towards his limousine that was parked at the side of the street. Staring at the backseat, painful memories began flooding his mind. He was pulled out of his trance by his driver who had approached him.

"Mr. Bass?" the man asked, getting his attention.

"I don't want to take the limo," he suddenly replied, facing his driver. "You may be surprised James, but I could honestly care less for money and all that it brings."

His driver seemed taken aback by his words, as well as by Chuck calling him by his first name.

"I did not think you knew my name Sir," he said as Chuck nodded sadly.

"I'm sorry if I treated you badly," he began his apology, causing James to stand completely stupefied.

Realizing that the young man was being sincere in his apology, James shook his head. "You didn't treat me badly Sir."

Smiling, Chuck turned towards the street. "I'll take a cab."

"Where are you going Sir? Will you be coming back?" he asked.

"Maybe one day," Chuck replied before patting his driver's shoulder and heading towards the street, flagging a cab down with a whistle.

Sitting in the backseat, he rolled his window down and gazed upon the hotel he had called home for years. Sighing, he sat back in his seat and faced the driver.

"The airport please," he instructed.

Nodding, the driver pulled into the street and began heading west towards JKF airport. Only a few minutes passed before a car pulled to a sudden stop before the hotel's lobby. Jumping out of the car, Blair ran towards the entrance but was stopped by the bellman.

"Miss Waldorf?" George asked, getting her attention. "You just missed Mr. Bass."

"What?" Blair asked, running her hand through her wavy, dark brown hair as she held the edge of her cotillion dress up with her other hand. "Where is he? Where did he go?"

"He didn't say where he was going Miss," George replied. "But he was heading for the airport."

"The airport?" Blaire asked in disbelief. "Why? Did he say where he was going?"

"No Miss," he replied. "But the way he spoke seemed like he was not planning on coming back for a while."

"No," she cried out, running back to her car, instructing her driver to head towards JFK.

When Chuck arrived at the airport, he paid the driver and head inside, carrying his small carry-on suitcase with him. Arriving at the American Airlines area, he stepped into the busy line and began inching forward. A good fifteen minutes passed before he made it to one of the agents up front.

"Hi there young man," the elderly lady said warmly. "And where are you heading tonight?"

"Rome," he replied quietly, handing her his passport and ticket. "I've had this ticket on standby for a long time. Thought I'd finally use it."

"Mr. Chuck Bass," she began, typing in his information into her screen. "Is this your only baggage?"

"That's all I need," he replied sadly.

Noticing the sadness in his voice, the lady looked up at him.

"Are you alright, Sir?" she asked.

"I just want to leave and not look back," he replied.

Smiling, the lady handed him his ticket, passport and boarding pass.

"Well I hope you come back one day," she said sweetly.

Smiling at her, he took his things and left the line, heading towards his boarding gate.

Outside, Blair jumped out of her car before her driver had even come to a halt. Running inside the airport, she looked around herself desperately, unsure where to look as everyone stared at her and the expensive gown she was wearing. Chuck continued walking towards his gate and stood in line behind a group of young teenagers his age who were traveling together. A few people looked at Blair with strange expressions as she glanced around herself frantically. A sudden idea popped into her mind and she ran off, approaching an airport security guard who stopped when he saw her.

"Can you please help me?" she pleaded with him.

"What is the matter?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm looking for someone," she said breathlessly. "He's about to board a plane and leave when he shouldn't."

"I'm not sure how I can help you with that," the man replied.

"Please," she pleaded with him, tears in her eyes. "I need to find him and tell him that…I _love_ him."

Smiling at the young girl's heartfelt desperation and plea, he gave in and nodded at her.

"Come on," he said, leading her down the airport. "Maybe there is something I can do."

As Chuck neared the start of the line, his mind faded back to a conversation he had with Blair at the ballroom.

_  
"No! Don't go with him!" he exclaimed. "Blair, he cheated on you!"_

"So did you!" she snapped back. "At least I forgave him."

"Look, please can we just go outside and talk?" he asked her.

"No," she replied bitterly. "As far as I'm concerned, you are the worst mistake of my life and if there's one thing I could ever take back, it would be that night at Victrola when we kissed."

Sighing, he shook the memories away before walking through the metal detector. The airport officials checked through his credentials before putting his bag through a scanner. All of a sudden, the P.A in the airport switched on and a male began speaking.

"Chuck Bass," the man began, making Chuck lean his head up in confusion. "Charlie William Bass. If you are in the airport, please dial extension 209."

The airport official looked at him with his brows raised and he simply shrugged his shoulder. Motioning him to use their phone, Chuck dialed the extension and waited until the man came on the line.

"This is Charlie Bass," he said into the phone.

"Mr. Bass, there is someone here looking for you," the man stated.

Chuck's mind immediately went to Blair, but his moment of hope vanished when her words _"you are the worst mistake of my life"_ floated back into his mind.

"I'm boarding a plane right now to Rome," he said.

"But Sir…," the man began.

"My plane's leaving in a few minutes," he said and hung up.

Turning to a hopeful Blair, the man shook his head. "He said his plane to Rome is leaving in a few minutes."

Unsure of what to do, she suddenly turned and ran off. Checking which gate the plane was leaving from, she ran as fast as she could down the airport. The second she reached the gate, the two airport officials had already closed the doors.

"Wait, please!" she exclaimed. "I need to see someone on this plane right away."

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but the plane is leaving in ten minutes," one of the men explained to her.

"You don't understand," she cried. "The man I love is getting on this plane right now because he doesn't know how I feel about him."

"Ma'am, I'm very sorry," the female said in sympathy. "But there's nothing that we could do. The plane was already delayed for over half an hour due to late arrivals. We can't open the doors."

Groaning in frustration, she ran to the glass tunnel where she saw Chuck walking away from her. She began screaming his name and pounding her fist on the glass, but it was sound proof and the figure simply walked away from her until he had completely disappeared. The officials grabbed onto her and gently pulled her away from the glass as everyone in that section of the airport stared at them.

"He's really gone," she cried, falling back into one of the seats. "He's gone."

"I'm sorry," the female exclaimed. "Is there someone we can call for you?"

Blair shook her head as her lips began quivering and her tears began to fall. The airport officials rose to their feet and walked to the side, wanting to give her some space. She closed her eyes and let her tears fall silently down her cheeks.

"Blair?" a voice suddenly came in front of her.

Opening her eyes, she rose to her feet and turned around, shocked by who she saw.

Seeing Chuck standing there with his bag in his hand, she cried out happily and ran into his arms, embracing him tightly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to pull away from her.

"I know about everything," she cried. "About Nate, about my mom and the deal, about why you hurt me the way you did."

"How?" he asked in surprise.

"Nate let a few things slip and I put the rest of it together," she explained. "I went to look for you but Serena said you'd left already. I went to your hotel and your bellman told me you were leaving. I can't believe you almost left."

"I got another call after I hung up. The same man pleaded with me not to get on the plane," he exclaimed. "He told me that a beautiful brunette in a white evening dress was looking for me."

Blair smiled at him and secretly thanked the security guard in her heart.  
"You almost left," she repeated as he held the sides of her face and pulled her into a long and private kiss.

When they leaned back, he embraced her tightly as she buried her face in his neck.  
"I'm so sorry about everything…about Nate," she said as he leaned back and wiped her tears away.

"Don't cry," he said with a soft smile before pressing his lips onto hers again. "I'm so happy you came here."

"I love you," she suddenly said, the three words catching him by surprise.

"You…what did you say?" Chuck asked with a slight frown.

Leaning in closer to him, she smiled warmly. "I _love_ you."

A happy expression quickly covered his face and this caused her smile to grow wider.

"I love you too, baby," he whispered into her ear as they embraced one another again.

With another quick kiss, he grabbed his bag and held her hand with his.

"Let's get out of here," he said as she pressed her face into his shoulder and they walked off together.

As they made their way out of the airport, Blair smiled at the guard who returned the sentiment. The moment they sat in a cab, Chuck gave the driver his address and they immediately began kissing, not caring about all the people who looked at them from other cars. When they arrived at his hotel, there was too much traffic at the front so the driver had to stop the car on the other side of the street. They got out into the pouring rain and jogged across the street before running inside with George smiling at them. Once they were inside his suite, Chuck lit a few candles in his bedroom as Blair rubbed her arms from the wet rain that had soaked her gown.

"Are you cold?" he asked, walking towards her and rubbing her arms.

"A little," she replied.

"Let me get you some clothes," he said, walking to his dresser and removing a pair of sweat pants and a shirt, his own clothes dripping from the rain.

She stared at him with in a lusty gaze before touching his arm to get his attention. When he turned around to face her, she pulled him close to her and pressed her lips onto his. As his hands moved to hold the sides of her face, their kiss turned passionate. Pulling back for some air, they leaned their foreheads against one another and breathed heavily.

"Make love to me," she whispered.

He quickly opened his eyes and gazed at her in surprise.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, his question resembling that which he had asked last week in his limousine.

"I'm sure," she replied with a smile.

Taking her into his arms, he crushed his lips onto hers and scooped her into his arms, carrying her over to the bed. Placing her back on her feet, he slowly unzipped her dress and she slipped out of it, standing in nothing but her satin negligee. Removing his own bow-tie, he laid her down on his bed and crawled on top of her. Blair's hands traveled to his shirt and she unbuttoned it slowly as they continued kissing. Once his shirt was unbuttoned, she slowly pulled it off of him and tossed it aside, running her hands down his chest seductively. He leaned up on his elbow and gazed down at her with a soft smile.

"I love you," he repeated as her smile widened.

With that, he leaned back down and kissed her as the candles burned warmly in the background.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter X

Blaire slowly opened her eyes to see an arm wrapped around her body from behind. She smiled at the tight hold the arm had on her and slowly turned within the person's embrace to look at Chuck, who was peacefully asleep. A thin sheet was draped over them as Blair gazed at his quiet face before tracing his features with her fingers. He twitched slightly from her touch and opened his eyes to see her smiling at him.

"Good morning," she whispered as his smile widened.

"Hi," he replied, slightly leaning back. "What time is it?"

"After eight," Blair replied, glancing at the clock on the night stand before laying her head back down on the pillow. "Did last night really happen?"

Eyeing the bed sheet over their naked bodies, he gave her a cocky grin. "Oh yeah."

She playfully hit his arm as he laughed heartily.

"Don't be smug," she said.

"I'm me," he reminded her as she smiled. "And I happily removed a certain chastity belt last night. You got to let me gloat a little."

Gasping at his words, Blair raised one of her eyebrows and came to get up.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"You can gloat all you want," she said, before adding, "After I leave."

"Come on," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her back on top of him.

She went willingly and placed her hands on his chest.

"I'm sorry baby," he replied. "I'm done gloating."

Blair giggled at his words before smiling.

"You're way too easy," she said as he realized she was playing with him.

"What can I say?" he began. "I'm in a good mood. But don't let it go to your head. I rather enjoy being moody and unlikable."

"But you're _very_ likable," she said, kissing his forehead. "And sweet…and caring…"

As she listed each compliment, she kissed another part of his face.

"And sexy…," she said, kissing his lips.

"Well, that's a given," he said, his arrogance never leaving him.

"You know, you're also too smug for your own good," she said as he laughed. "But you're kind…and funny…and very good to look at."

"Now you're making me uncomfortable," he said and tried to wriggle free, but she had him pinned down.

"And you kiss _so_ good," she continued, loving the fact that she was getting to him.

"The kissing and the sexy part you can mention any time you please," he said with a grin. "But I'm going to have to ask you to leave out the sweet and caring stuff in the future."

"Why?" she asked with a smile.

"Blair…I'm an ass," he began, making her laugh. "I pride myself in being an arrogant prick."

"You're not," she whispered before leaning down and pressing her lips onto his. "You're perfect."

"Why would you say that?" he asked, leaning back slightly.

"Because I think it's true," she said simply. "So many people pretend to be someone else but you're real. Everything you say and do is true to who you are and who you are is an incredibly sweet and loving boyfriend."

"Boyfriend, huh?" he asked. "We never did get a chance to talk about any of that last night."

"Yeah I know," she said quietly. "Is that okay?"

"Well, there are certain things I can do with you as a boyfriend that I wouldn't be able to do as anyone else," he said with another grin.

"Be serious," she said, swatting his arm again.

"Oh, I _am_," he said with a laugh.

"Chuck!" she exclaimed as he nodded.

"Alright," he gave in. "Blair Waldorf…will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes," she said with a smile. "See…I told you, you were sweet."

"Let's not go there again," he said, kissing her quickly before sitting up.

He wore his clothes as Blair watched him with a small smile.

"Why do you always do that?" she asked softly.

"Do what?" he said in return.

"Every time a serious topic comes up, you tend to act different or you crack a joke," she stated.

"Would you rather have me chase you around like a puppy dog?" he asked with a grin.

"No," she said with a laugh. "I love your arrogance."

"Then what's the problem?" he asked, looking around for his shirt.

Noticing the shirt on her side of the bed, she quickly wore it and buttoned it up. He finally faced her and smiled when he saw his shirt on her.

"You should wear my clothes more often," he commented.

"You like?" she asked sweetly as he nodded. "Tell me why you act like that and I'll give it to you."

"You do know that I can easily remove the shirt without ever breathing a word," he said with a grin.

"I'd like to see you try," she replied.

Taking the dare, he moved towards her and slid his hands down her back seductively. She gasped lightly at the small move before he slid his hands onto her waist, underneath the shirt and kissed her. As she buried her hands in his hair to prolong the kiss, he quietly began unbuttoning the shirt and then suddenly removed it from her body, leaving her in her under garment.

"You're evil," she said with a sneer as he smiled at her.

"Never claimed otherwise," he replied as she rose to her feet and wore his robe which was sitting on the chair next to the night stand.

Moving towards him, she leaned up to his lips but never touched him.

"Give me an answer or I'll show you what real torture is," she began. "Remember, you're not the only one who can play hot and cold…and I feel _awfully _cold right now."

Realizing what she was doing, he stopped her from walking away and kissed her rather passionately. She was surprised by the intensity in his kiss but quickly recovered and matched it.

"We can talk over breakfast," he said with a soft smile as she nodded.

Kissing lightly, she embraced him. "Where do you want to go?"

"Baby, I have a lot of talents you don't know about," he said, the smugness returning once more.

"Really?" she asked in a flirtatious tone. "What might they be?"

"I know how to get what I want when I want," he began. "I know how to manipulate people…I know how to please women in bed."

She came to slap him playfully, but he caught her arm and kissed her.

"Don't pretend it's not true," he said as she laughed aloud.

"You have got one _really_ big head," she exclaimed as he nodded.

"At least I have the talent to back it up," he replied, taking her hands in his. "And to your ultimate benefit, I know how to cook."

"Really?" she asked, surprised by the revelation.

"Yeah, I took gourmet cooking classes when I was fourteen," he replied and cleared his throat. "Just so we're clear, this little bit of information will remain locked away with the 'sweet and caring' crap, got it?"

"We'll see," she said with a laugh before leading him towards the kitchen.

Once they were there, she released his hand and faced him.

"So cook," she ordered. "I want a mushroom omelet soufflé, orange juice freshly squeezed and French toast."

"Yes your majesty. Have a seat," he said, pulling a stool out for her from the counter in his open kitchen before rolling his sleeves up and washing his hands.

As she sat down and watched him move around the kitchen, she smiled at his messy hair that he had failed to comb. She simply watched him with a happy smile for over ten minutes as he cooked her breakfast. Once he was finally done, he placed the dish in front of her alongside her juice. Taking her fork, Blair separated a bit of the food and placed it in her mouth, chewing it politely. Her eyes suddenly widened and she smiled up at him.

"Chuck, this is amazing," she expressed, taking another bite as he smiled at her.

"Of course it is," he said with a grin.

"You should honestly think about this as a future profession," she said as he laughed.

"The son of multi-millionaire, hotel owner Bart Bass a _chef_?" he asked with a brow raised. "I can just imagine the arguments."

"Your dad's not that bad," Blair said, taking a sip of the juice. "Is he?"

"Let's just say that the last time my father and I ever saw eye to eye on something or even better…the last time my father and I actually spoke about something was back when we lived in Albany for two years," he replied.

"I remember those years," she stated. "The four of us…Nate, Serena, you and I were friends from infancy and then you moved away for two years. That's when your mom passed away, right?"

"Yeah," he replied sadly, sitting down in front of her.

"So why don't you and your dad see eye to eye or speak anymore?" she asked, wanting to get to know him as much as she could.

"It all goes back to my mom," he said absently.

"What do you mean?" she asked, putting her fork down to fully concentrate on him.

He looked up into her eyes for a long moment and she realized the sudden change in his mood from happy and smug to sad.

"Hey," she said, touching the side of his face. "Whatever it is…you can tell me."

He took her hand and kissed it lightly as she smiled.

"My mom never died in a car accident," he said as she frowned.

"But I thought…," she began.

"I know. That's what my father wanted everyone to believe," he cut in.

As they sat in the kitchen, he began recounting the true story to what had happened years ago in Albany. Blair couldn't believe his words as tears began forming in her eyes.

"When we came home, I was so happy," he said sadly, unable to hold in his sadness. "I wanted to show my mom that I was better and that I could walk again. I just couldn't wait to get home because I thought my news would make my mom happy again."

Shaking his head, Chuck ran a hand through his hair and rubbed his eyes.

"We called her name a bunch of times when we arrived home, but no one answered so the two of us walked upstairs to their bedroom," he continued. "At first, I thought that she was sleeping so I jumped on the bed and began calling her name like an idiot."

"You weren't an idiot," Blair cut in. "You were an eight year old little boy."

Shrugging slightly, he sighed. "That's when my father noticed the empty pill bottle in her hand. He immediately ran to her and checked her pulse, but she wasn't breathing. I remember my dad just fell to his knees on the floor and started shaking. I didn't understand what was going on but my father was scaring me. I asked him what was wrong with mom and why she wasn't waking up, but he couldn't answer me."

"Oh God…," Blair whispered as a single tear streamed down her cheek.

"Eventually my father got up and called 911. He could hardly talk into the phone," Chuck said quietly. "When the medics came, they began moving my mom onto the stretcher and I started shouting at them to leave my mom alone because I thought they were hurting her. I thought they were hurting her the same way I had seen that guy hurting her."

Blair reached out to touch him, but thought better of it and gave him his space.

"My father pulled me away from them as they moved her into the ambulance. We all got in the back as we rode to the hospital. They didn't even have the sirens on because she was already dead," he explained. "God, I remember it all as if it were yesterday."

He took a sip from his glass of water and exhaled.

"We held the funeral a week later. He had paid the right people and they kept the true cause of death a secret. They said that it was a car accident or something," Chuck expressed. "The funeral was pretty tough. Everyone kept telling me how sorry they were for my loss, but I was an eight year old kid. I didn't fully understand that my mom was dead and that she was never coming back. But after the funeral was over, we held the reception at our home…and that's when I first saw you, Nate and Serena again. You had all come for the burial with your families."

"I remember that day," Blair agreed.

"You were wearing a black dress and you had your hair pulled back in a pony tail," he remembered. "You were wearing a necklace with a star pendant that your dad had given you for your birthday three years ago."

"I can't believe you remember all of that," Blair said, touched by his words.

He smiled at her sadly before taking a deep breath.

"I ran out of our home and began running towards the cemetery and Nate followed me," he said sadly, thinking of his best friend. "When I got to the cemetery, I found my mom's grave and I remember sitting there on top of it crying. He sat down next to me and placed his arm around my shoulders. That was more comfort I had received from my father that whole week."

Blair realized how he grew sadder at the thought of Nate.

"When we moved back here, I tried to talk to my father about it but he refused every time," he continued. "I once spoke to Nate a few years ago about everything and he overheard. We got into a really bad argument where he forbid me from ever mentioning her name again. Things between us generally stayed that way and only got worse over the years. I guess that's what zero communication does in a relationship. It leads to anger and resentment…on top of the fact that I know he blames me for her death."

"No he doesn't," Blair tried to ease his pain. "Chuck, he was just speaking out of hurt if he ever said that to you."

"It was my tenth birthday and my father had spent the entire night locked away in his study," Chuck explained. "Serena's mom had approached him and asked him why he was hiding and had reminded him that it was my birthday. You know what he said to her?"

She shook her head and he smiled sadly.

"He said 'I feel disgusted every time I look at Charlie. He reminds me of Evelyn and of the way she died over her guilt for him'," Chuck replied. "You don't forget words like that."

"I'm so sorry," Blair said, finally taking his hand in hers in comfort. "I can't believe he said that."

"That's because you don't know what a son of a bitch he is," Chuck replied. "After so many arguments, I kind of gave up on trying to have a relationship with my father. We have our pleasantries when we see one another or when I show some interest in his business. But other than that, we resemble mere acquaintances more than anything else."

"Chuck…I don't know where to start," she said, holding the sides of his face. "Sweetie, I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. Why didn't you ever say anything to the rest of us? We would have listened."

"I got used to dealing with things by myself," he replied. "I depended on myself and no one else…sometimes Nate. But I swore that _I _would look after myself and have my own back."

"I never realized the depth of your friendship with Nate," Blair added.

"He's like a brother to me," Chuck said sadly before getting to his feet and walking to the other side of the counter. "Blair, I don't like to talk about my feelings or thoughts. I mean, when I wanted to, I was told to stop so now after so many years, I've kind of closed myself off."

"I understand," she said firmly.

"I just want you to know that…you can't expect that much from me, alright?" he said nervously. "I mean, sex is easy for me because it doesn't involve anything emotional. It's purely physical."

She smiled at his attempt to explain himself to her.

"I'm trying, okay?" he finally said, looking down at the ground with his hands at his waist.

Smiling softly, Blair rose to her feet and walked over to him.

"I understand," she repeated before pulling him into an embrace.

He stood frozen at first, but then wrapped his arms around her body and buried his face into the side of her neck as she rubbed his back in comfort.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter XI

They had spent most of the day in Chuck's suite, talking and eating the gourmet meal he had made for lunch. As night slowly approached, Blair finally turned her cell phone on to see seven missed calls. Sighing, she began going through each of them and stopped on the final one which was from her mother. In her voice mail, Eleanor had expressed her desire to invite Chuck over for dinner that night.

"Hey," he said, kissing her shoulder from behind as she smiled. "What is it?"

"My mom," Blair replied. "She wants you over for dinner tonight."

"Are we thinking that's a good idea?" he asked, sitting on the couch as she stood in front of him, still dressed in his robe.

"I'd love for my mom to get to know you better," Blair said, a smile on her face. "But my mother showing any interest in my life sounds a little suspicious."

"Got to start somewhere, right?" he replied as she sat down on his legs and kissed him sweetly.

"How about taking some of your own advice?" she asked.

"Meaning?" was his reply.

"I mean you and your father," Blair said, touching the side of his face. "It's never too late."

With that, she rose to her feet and head towards the bathroom as he watched her go.

"Sometimes it is," he said absently before getting up.

Around eight o'clock, the two of them walked inside her home. Blair was dressed in a cream skirt and a black sweater that she had bought earlier to change into. Chuck was dressed in black pants and a white shirt with a black jacket on top. As they entered through the door, holding hands, Eleanor walked towards them from the dining room.

"Blair," she exclaimed. "There you are."

"Hi mom," Blair said with a small smile as her mother faced the boy whose hand she was gripping tightly.

"Chuck," she said politely.

"Hi Mrs. Waldorf," he replied.

"Come right in," Eleanor said, leading the way. "We've been expecting you."

"We?" Blair asked with a frown.

As they entered the dining room, they stopped in shock and let go of one another's hands. Seated at the large table were Serena and her mom, Nate and his parents and Bart. They glanced at one another for a moment before Eleanor ushered her daughter to an empty seat next to Nate.

"I'm not sitting there," she said firmly.

"Yes you are," Eleanor stated with a polite smile.

"No mom, I'm not," Blair replied.

Eleanor ignored her daughter and faced Chuck. "Sit down next to your father."

"Not happening," he replied as Bart looked down.

"I thought we were having dinner together…alone," Blair cut in. "Just the three of us."

"As always, you misheard what I said," Eleanor exclaimed before facing Chuck again. "Young man, this is my home and you will do as I say."

Chuck tossed a glance at an incredulous Blair who shook her head at him.

"Come on, you're also next to me," Serena said as Chuck faced her.

After another slight pause, he finally took his seat between his father and Serena, pulling his chair slightly in her direction. Making eye contact with a sympathetic and apologetic Serena, Blair smiled at her friend's attempt to help the situation and sat between Nate and her mother.

"Now that we're all seated, let us enjoy a nice dinner," Eleanor said, sitting down.

"How is this a nice dinner?" Blair asked, facing her mother. "Mom, why did you separate us?"

"I didn't," Eleanor lied. "It's just that these were the only empty seats available when you walked in. You should learn to be on time. I thought I raised you better than that."

Blair scoffed in disbelief at her mother's attitude before staring at Chuck from across the table. He offered her a small smile which somewhat eased her anger and she returned it. After another minute of awkward silence passed, the doors opened and the caterers Eleanor had requested for the night walked inside and began placing the main course meals on the table. Staring at the food, Blair turned to her mom.

"Mom, I told you over the phone that Chuck is allergic to fish," Blair declared, getting everyone's attention as she remembered the fact he had told her earlier during lunch.

"You never said such a thing," Eleanor replied, dismissing her daughter's comment.

"Mom!" Blair said angrily. "I told you twice."

"Blair," Chuck said from across the table, forcing her to face him. "It's fine. I won't eat it. I'll have some of the salad."

She shook her head angrily and stared down at her plate as Nate secretly watched her from the side.

"You're allergic to fish?" Bart asked quietly. "I knew that."

Rolling his eyes, Chuck turned and faced Serena who smiled at him.

"So where have you and Blair been all day?" she asked.

"Where do you think?" he said with a grin.

"Forget I asked," Serena said with a laugh as he picked up his fork and began eating some of the salad from the side of his plate.

"Son," Bart began as Chuck faced him. "I thought this would be a good opportunity for us to talk."

"About what?" Chuck asked with a frown. "Last time I checked, you and I had nothing to discuss."

"I wanted to clear up any misunderstandings about what happened the other day," Bart began quietly.

"You mean when you hit me?" Chuck asked in return as Bart quieted him down in an effort to keep all attention away.

"I wish you wouldn't word it that way," Bart said quietly.

"Why? Because then it would make it real?" Chuck asked, his anger rising steadily.

Blair noticed their deep conversation from across the table, but their hushed voices made her unable to understand what they were saying.

"Blair," Nate began as she faced him. "Can we talk?"

"You and I have nothing to talk about," she said before turning back to Chuck.

"Blair, I wanted to apologize," he said.

Rolling her eyes in frustration, she turned to him again.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," he said quietly. "It was never my intention."

"I hope you men that," she said as he nodded.

"And I'm also sorry for what I'm about to say," he said, causing her to frown. "Chuck is not good enough for you. Sooner or later, you're going to realize that."

"You know what? Just stop right there," she said, turning away from him.

"You'll realize the mistake you're making Blair," he stated.

"And what? I'll come running back to you?" she asked in return. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but that's never going to happen."

"Coming back to me?" he began. "Or realizing that he's only going to hurt you?"

Blair stared at him for a moment with an insecure expression as he turned back to his plate, secretly pleased that he had accomplished his task.

"Blair," Eleanor said as her daughter faced her. "Nathaniel is trying to make things right between you two. Stop being such a stubborn little girl and admit the mistake you made."

"Mistake?" she repeated.

"Yes," Eleanor said in her usual strict tone. "I adore Bart Bass and he's an incredibly wealthy man but his son is a different subject."

"You don't even know him," Blair defended.

"I know his reputation for using girls to please him at the moment and then tossing them aside," Eleanor stated.

"He's not like that," Blair exclaimed.

"I don't care if you think he's Prince Charming himself. The fact is that your decisions of late have left me with the conclusion that certain choices need to be made _for_ you," Eleanor exclaimed. "I will not have our name dragged out and damaged just so you can get this little teenage rebellion out of your skin."

"That's not what I'm doing," Blair stated firmly.

"Nevertheless, you can have this weekend but come Monday morning, this little thing between you and that boy will be over, are we clear?" Eleanor demanded.

"No," Blair replied angrily. "I'm not going to leave him."

"If you want to remain part of this family, you will get rid of that boy and make things right with Nathaniel," Eleanor said.

Before her daughter had a chance to speak, Eleanor faced the rest of the table with a smile.

"I hope everyone's enjoying their dinner," she commented as Lilly smiled politely at her.

Blair continued to stare in disbelief at her mother before facing Chuck. She wanted to signal him with her eyes to get up and leave, but he was fixated on a conversation with his father.

"Chuck," Bart said as his son placed his fork down. "I just wanted to say that I didn't mean for it to happen. So let's just forget about it, alright?"

"And what about all of the other times?" he asked, fully facing his father.

"What are you talking about?" Bart asked, clearing his throat.

"I mean all the other times you hit me and I sat back and took it," Chuck stated. "What about them?"

"I don't know what you think happened, but…," Bart began, but his son cut in.

"Eight times," he said angrily. "Including the other day."

Bart stared at him for a long moment before glancing around the table.

"We'll discuss this later," he said.

"No, _you _brought it up," Chuck said. "Now we're going to finish it."

Serena looked away from her mother and faced them with a slight frown.

"Do you even remember any of those days?" Chuck asked, his eyes growing dark.

"No because they didn't happen," he said firmly.

"The first time was three weeks after mom had died," Chuck began, his voice growing louder.

"Be quiet," Bart snapped at him below his breath, but it was too late and they had captured everyone's attentions.

"I came to you in the study and you had been drinking heavily. I started to talk about mom and you got so fed up with me that you back-handed me into the wall," Chuck explained. "Do you remember that? How the side of my face was bleeding?"

"Listen…," Bart began, but Chuck continued.

"Or how on Christmas Eve that year, I brought you a present in your room? It was a photo frame of the three of us," he said as Bart straightened his tie. "Come on, _father_, you remember, don't you? How you destroyed the present and slammed me into the wall? Remember how I dislocated my shoulder and needed a cast?"

"Chuck?" Blair asked worriedly as she listened to him speak, but he ignored her.

"Do you remember my twelfth birthday when you came home drunk and hit me so hard that my face was swollen up for almost a week?" he continued.

"Stop it!" Bart snapped at him before facing the table. "I assure you, I have no idea what he's talking about."

"I always let it slide," Chuck said, ignoring his father's dismissal. "I always excused your behavior in my mind by telling myself that you were grieving…that you were in so much pain and wouldn't hit me otherwise. I mean, you were my _dad_. You loved me deep down."

Staring at his father with tears in his eyes, Chuck rose to his feet as everyone watched him speechlessly.

"But I can't excuse it anymore," he said angrily. "I can't excuse you hitting me anymore."

Getting out of his chair, Bart fixed his suit.

"I don't know what it is you are trying to do here, but I am warning you to stop it," he declared.

"Or what? You'll hit me?" Chuck asked. "I used to lay in bed at nights praying for you to die in your sleep. But then I'd feel guilty the next day and excuse your behavior again. I won't do it anymore. I _can't_ do it anymore. This hate between us is killing me."

"_You_ hate _me_?" Bart asked, taking a step in his son's direction, which caused both Nate and his father to get up quickly. "I'm the one who has every right to hate _you_!"

"Bart…," Nate's father began, putting his hand on his arm, but he yanked it away angrily.

"_You're_ the reason she died! You're the reason she killed herself!" Bart shouted as Blair jumped to her feet. "I hate you and everything about you! I prayed too at nights that God would take you from me, but the difference is that I _never_ felt guilty about it! Everything is your fault!"

"Stop it!" Blair cried as the Captain pulled Bart back.

"Bart, for God's sake stop!" Lilly shouted at him. "He is your _son_!"

"He's no son of mine!" the man replied.

"So the truth finally comes out," Chuck said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "My father not only hates me, but he wishes I was dead instead of my mom. I'm sorry she's gone. I blame myself almost as much as you do but she's dead. _Mom_ is dead."

"Don't you dare say her name!" Bart screamed, fury taking over him.

Without any warning, he charged towards his son and slammed him into the wall before pushing him hard into a lamp that was hanging.

"Oh my God!" Eleanor gasped as the Captain and Nate quickly rushed towards them and pulled Bart off.

Keeping Bart off of his son was a struggle, but together they managed to hold him back as Blair rushed to Chuck's side.

"Are you okay?" she asked, holding him as he sat on his hands and knees, crawled over.

Spitting out some blood, he leaned his back on the wall as shattered glass from the broken wall-lamp sat all around him.

"Chuck?" Blair asked, but his teary eyes were fixed on his father who fell to his knees in tears.

"Why didn't _you _die?" he cried, burying his face in his hands before he began to wail. "I want her back."

Everyone was shocked at what had just transpired in Eleanor's dining room and stood frozen as Nate and his father pulled away from Bart. Nate breathlessly faced his best friend, his heart breaking for him as Chuck sat wounded and torn on the floor. Despite wanting to feel no sympathy, Nate couldn't help wanting to reach out to him. Blair pulled him into her arms and held him tightly as he continued to stare at his weeping father. After a couple minutes, he pulled out of her grasp and struggled to get to his feet, not wanting any help from her. He simply stared at his father before wiping his eyes. Touching the back of his head, he winced in pain and brought his hand forward, suddenly noticing all of the blood.

"Oh my God!" Blair cried as Lilly rushed towards them. "He's bleeding."

Suddenly feeling light-headed, Chuck grabbed onto Blair so he wouldn't fall down. She and Lilly helped him towards the couch in the living room as Serena hurried to the bathroom to get the first aid equipment. Being Blair's best friend, she knew every inch of the home and quickly returned with the items. Sitting next to him, Lilly tried dabbing the blood with a few gauzes, but the bleeding was too severe.

"I can't stop the bleeding," she exclaimed, facing a worried Blair and Serena. "We need to get him to a hospital."

Jumping to her feet, Lilly pulled the wounded boy up and held him steadily as Blair took his other side.

"Serena, open the door," she instructed her daughter as they moved towards the front door.

Serena quickly opened the door and they rushed into the elevator as Chuck's head continued to bob up and down, signaling that he was repeatedly in and out of consciousness. Nate wanted to follow them, but his father held him back.

"Help me with him first," he said, motioning Bart who was still crying on the floor.

Nate nodded and listened to his father as Anne moved to help them. Staring at the mess that was her dining room, Eleanor's eyes landed on the shattered glass and the blood that was smeared on the wall and the floor. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back and sat down on one of the chairs, unable to remove her eyes from the blood.

"Stay with us," Lilly exclaimed as they stepped into the lobby.

The manager of the condominium rushed in their direction the moment he saw them.

"Mrs. Van der Woodson," he exclaimed. "What happened?"

"There was an accident upstairs," Lilly replied as they rushed towards the door.

As everyone in the lobby and the sidewalk watched them in concern, the manager quickly hailed a cab. Lilly and Blair got in the back seat with him as Serena sat in the front. The manager watched the cab driver peel into the busy street, unsure of what had really happened. Inside the cab, Chuck had shrunk down in the seat with his head leaned to the side.

"Chuck?" Blair said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Open your eyes."

When he didn't respond, Blair touched the sides of his face and kissed him softly.

"Please open your eyes," she whispered, her tears falling on his face. "For me?"

His eyes slowly opened and she gasped in relief as Lilly and Serena smiled at her sadly.

"Hey," Blair said happily as he looked around in confusion.

"Where are we?" he said quietly, trying hard to keep his eyes open.

"You and your dad got in a fight," Blair replied. "We're heading to the hospital."

Nodding, he leaned back and closed his eyes again.

"Chuck?" Blair exclaimed worriedly. "Chuck?!"

When he didn't respond, Lilly faced the driver. "Hurry up!"

The driver pressed the gas pedal and before long, he pulled in front of the hospital. Quickly parking the car, the man helped them exit the cab and head towards the emergency doors.

"We need help!" Blair exclaimed as she and Lilly carried his unconscious body inside.

"What's going on?" a nurse asked as she rushed towards them.

"He got into a fight. He's bleeding from the back of his head and went unconscious a few minutes ago," Lilly explained as another nurse and a doctor rushed towards them.

The doctor, Peter Grey, quickly examined the back of Chuck's head and motioned for the nurses to bring a gurney. Placing him on gently, the medical staff moved him inside one of the ICU rooms as the three of them stood behind the doors. Pulling her friend into a hug, Serena soothed Blair as best as she could as they tried to bring the bleeding to a stop inside the ICU. After fifteen minutes, Lilly led them towards a row of chairs in the hall and they all sat down.

"I can't believe this happened," Blair exclaimed with a sigh, rubbing her face.

"I would have never guessed that Bart beat his son," Lilly said quietly. "I knew that their relationship wasn't the best, but I never would have thought the man I was dating would do this."

"None of us did," Serena said, sitting between her mother and Blair.

Lilly smiled at her daughter and kissed the side of her head as Serena smiled back sadly.

Mrs. Van der Woodson?" Blair asked, leaning forward as they both faced her. "Thank you."

"For what?" Lilly asked.

"For being here," Blair replied. "My mom would have never helped us like you just did."

"I didn't do anything, sweetheart," Lilly said with a soft smile.

"Yes you did," Blair corrected. "My mom's probably more worried about the broken lamp in the dining room than she is about Chuck."

Looking at Blair sympathetically, she pulled both girls into an embrace, comforting them silently. All of a sudden, Nate entered the hospital and rushed towards them. He stopped and stared at the group hug for a moment before clearing his throat.

"How is he?" he asked as they leaned back and looked up at him.

"We don't know," Serena replied, holding Blair's hand tightly. "They haven't said anything yet."

Getting to her feet, Blair walked to the door of the ICU room and peeked inside from behind the window, wrapping her arms around herself. Walking up behind her, Nate stared at his unconscious best friend and breathed heavily.

"He'll be okay," he said from behind.

"You don't know that," Blair whispered.

"He's tough, Blair," Nate said in comfort. "He'll get through this."

Sniffling quietly, she turned to face him. "Did you know?"

"About his dad?" Nate asked and shook his head. "No, he never told me."

"How would he excuse the bruises?" she asked.

"He's just say he'd gotten into a fight with some other kid," Nate replied and sighed. "I always believed him and never thought more of it."

With that, Blair turned back to the ICU room and watched as the medical staff continued to work on him.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter XII

The room was quiet and dimly lit. Leaving her place by the window, Blair walked towards Chuck who slept peacefully on the hospital bed. Gazing down at him sadly, she moved onto the bed and lied down with him. Placing her head next to his on his left, she turned on her side to gaze at him, placing her left hand on his chest. Laying in silence, she listened to his quiet breathing and watched the gentle movement of his chest.

He was hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor, with the back of his head bandaged. The doctors had spent almost an hour with him before informing them that Chuck had received eleven stitches. They had also said that he was in a coma due to the severe hemorrhaging from his head, but were confident that he would wake up within twenty-four hours. Lilly and Serena had gone home for the night to change and get some sleep while Blair stayed with him in his private room. Eleven hours had passed and it was eventually nine in the morning. Unable to sleep all night, Blair had sat at the side of his bed worriedly as the minutes passed by like hours.

"So many things have happened this past week," Blair said aloud to an unconscious Chuck. "Who would have thought that you and I would be together?"

Smiling at her own words, she scooted closer to him.

"Now I can't imagine myself with anyone else," she exclaimed, leaning up on her elbow to gaze at him. "You need to open your eyes for me."

When there was no response, she cleared her throat.

"You'll never get to see me minus my wardrobe again unless you wake up," she said, trying to lighten the mood.

Sighing, she leaned down and kissed him tenderly just as Nate walked into the room. He stopped when he saw the kiss, but then pushed himself forward.

"Blair?" he called out to her, getting her attention. "Any change?"

"No," she replied quietly, sitting up.

"Listen, can I have a minute with him?" he asked as she frowned. "Please? Just a minute."

After another moment's hesitation, Blair got off the bed and walked out of the room. As she stepped into the hallway, she saw Serena and Dan walking towards her. The girls embraced one another tightly as Dan looked on. Inside the room, Nate sat down on the chair next to the bed and sighed. He stared at his best friend for a long moment, taking in Chuck's physical state.

"I'm so angry with you right now about everything…about Blair," he began. "I'll forgive you one day. Not now…but someday."

Taking a deep breath, Nate ran his hand through his wavy hair.

"Damn it Chuck. You've been my best friend my whole life…you've been my brother," Nate said sadly. "You're my boy. You're Chuck Bass, 'Seal the Deal, Tap that Ass'."

Laughing softly, Nate looked up at him.

"I guess I never thought you would…," he began and paused for a moment. "Be with Blair."

Clearing his throat, he lost his smile. "Despite it all…I love you, man."

With that, he rose to his feet and touched Chuck's arm.

"Just get better," he said before leaving.

Once he was outside, Blair immediately returned to the room.

"Hey," Serena said softly as she and Nate sat down. "Dan went to get some coffee. Did you want anything?"

He shook his head at her.

"How are you holding up?" she asked.

"Me?" he asked with a frown. "_He's_ the one who's in a coma, not me."

"And he's _your_ best friend," she stated as he faced her. "So how are you holding up?"

"A part of me blames myself," he expressed.

"For what?" Serena asked.

"For not realizing what his dad was doing," Nate replied. "I mean, come on. He used to say he'd gotten into a fight or he fell down the stairs…all classic excuses for abuse."

"You were a child," Serena replied. "How could you have known?"

"I don't know," Nate said and sighed. "I mean, things are still bad between us and when he wakes up, it won't go back to the way it was. I don't know if it ever can."

Serena simply listened to him as he spoke.

"That doesn't mean I want him lying in a hospital bed unconscious and hurt," he finished as she smiled wryly at him.

Touching his shoulder in comfort, they sat together in silence as the occasional nurse walked past them. Back inside the room, Blair had lied down next to him again, holding his hand in hers.

"I can't believe my mom," she began. "She wants me to leave you and work things out with Nate. It never matters how I feel…just as long as my mother's precious name or reputation isn't damaged."

Sighing, she slowly shook her head.

"But who am I kidding? I'm my mother's daughter," she exclaimed with a scoff. "I care about what other people think of me."

Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she continued.

"Come Monday morning, everyone at school is going to know about us and that makes me a little nervous," she said quietly. "But a part of me…a bigger part of me doesn't care because whenever you look at, it's as if you _really_ see me. That's all that matters to me."

Leaning up on her elbow, she smiled down at him.

"It's a wonder the thought of us together never occurred to me before," she exclaimed. "I mean, Serena was right. Our back and forth banters were always flirtatious."

Laughing softly, she traced the contours of his face with her free hand.

"But throughout it all, you were the one person in my life who was always honest with me…even though sometimes it was brutal," she said. "That's one of the things I always admired about you."

She then leaned down and pressed her lips onto his cheek.

"Open your eyes for me," she whispered.

All of a sudden, the door flew open and Eleanor barged into the room.

"Mom?" Blair asked, sitting up.

"Can we talk for a minute?" Eleanor began. "Outside?"

With a final glance at Chuck, Blair got off of the bed and reluctantly followed her mother into the hall where she saw Serena and Dan sitting together, engaged in a serious conversation. Nate was nowhere to be seen.

"This way," Eleanor said before ushering her daughter to the end of the hall and towards an elevator.

"Where are we going?" Blair asked as they entered the elevator.

"There's something I need to show you," Eleanor said as they rode towards the parking level.

As they got out, Eleanor took her daughter's arm and pulled her towards a parked limousine.

"Mom, what is this?" Blair asked with a frown, pulling out of her grasp.

The door to the limousine opened and three men stepped out. One was a driver, another was Paul, her mother's personal assistant and the final was a doctor.

"Who are these people?" Blair asked as her mother faced her.

"Blair, I came to a decision tonight after everything that happened earlier," Eleanor began.

"You mean after Chuck's father attacked him and put him in a coma?" Blair asked angrily.

Giving her daughter a thin smile, Eleanor pointed to the limousine.

"I'm sending you to a form of boarding school in London," Eleanor began as Blair frowned. "The man in charge is a friend of mine and you will stay in a private institution he runs. You will receive private tutoring for the completion of your school."

"Are you crazy?" Blair exclaimed with a slight laugh. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Blair, this is for the best," Eleanor said.

"The best for whom? For you? I know it's not for me!" Blair snapped at her. "Please, mom, let's just think about this for a minute. Chuck is in a coma. When he wakes up, he needs to see my face. He needs to know I'm there."

"He has other people…," Eleanor began.

"I'm all he has," Blair cried. "He has no mother, his father's an abusive bastard and he just lost his best friend."

"Losing Nathaniel was the boy's own fault. Now I will _not_ let you damage the name of this family the way your father did," Eleanor snapped back. "Your father had an affair with a _man_. Do you know what that did to us?"

"Yes I do _mom_. I was there!" Blair replied.

"Now _you_ are associating with a shameful boy who comes from a family where his mother committed suicide and his father abuses him. This will hurt us so much more than what your father did," Eleanor explained.

"How is any of that Chuck's fault?" Blair asked angrily.

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is. You don't know what I went through to get our family back on track after your father's disgraceful actions," Eleanor exclaimed.

"He had an affair, mom, with another man," Blair replied. "It hurt me too, but it's not like it was the end of the world."

"That just shows how daft you are," Eleanor stated. "You will get in this car right now and go without any trouble, do I make myself clear?"

"Chuck is lying in the hospital in a coma right now!" Blair snapped at her mother. "I am _not_ going anywhere."

"I thought you might be difficult," Eleanor said with a slight nod.

"Difficult?" Blair asked in disbelief. "You're the one who wants to take me away from my school, my friends and my boyfriend when he's lying in the hospital unconscious and hurt and you say _I'm_ being difficult?"

Clearing her throat, Eleanor faced her assistant. "Patrick."

Her assistant walked towards Blair who backed away from him in the empty parking lot.

"Get away from me!" she expressed before rushing towards the elevator.

Eleanor stood back with an expressionless face as Patrick grabbed Blair from behind and pulled her towards the limousine.

"Help! Somebody help me!" Blair screamed as he dragged her. "Mom, please don't do this!"

"This is for your own good," Eleanor replied before facing the doctor and nodding to him.

"Mom, please!" Blair cried, struggling to get free as the driver walked over and helped pin her against the vehicle. "I love him! Don't do this!"

Ignoring her daughter's plea, Eleanor watched as the doctor removed a syringe and injected a tranquilizer into Blair's blood stream.

"Please!" Blair cried, tears forming in her eyes. "He's in a coma, mom! Don't do this!"

As the two men held her firmly, her blinking started to slow down and her breathing leveled.

"Please…," she whispered as the drug began taking effect.

As her head leaned to the side, Blair's eyes closed and she fell asleep.

"Get her in the car," Eleanor said, trying to hold her composure.

"Eleanor, are you sure about this?" Patrick asked, glancing at the unconscious girl he was holding. "Maybe you shouldn't do this."

"Get her in the car, Patrick," she repeated firmly.

Sighing, the young man carried Blair's body into the limousine and lied her down on the seat before sitting next to her, followed by the doctor.

"I will meet you in London," Eleanor stated, shutting the door to the limousine.

Standing back, she watched as the driver pulled away from her slowly. Taking a deep breath, Eleanor straightened her coat and head back towards the elevator. Stepping inside, she rode back to the third floor and walked towards Chuck's room, where she saw Serena and Dan sitting inside beside the bed.

"Hi Mrs. Waldorf," Serena greeted as Eleanor smiled politely at her.

"Blair's gone home for the day," Eleanor replied.

"Why? Is she okay?" Serena asked quickly.

"She just said that she had a lot to think about," she answered.

"Think about what?" Serena asked with a frown.

"Oh, I wish I understood my daughter's mind, but sadly I don't," Eleanor stated and faced Chuck. "Is there no change?"

"He's still unconscious," Dan replied as Eleanor nodded.

"Well, I have to get going," she said and turned towards the door.

"Mrs. Waldorf?" Serena called, rising to her feet as Eleanor faced her. "Are you sure Blair's alright?"

"She's fine," she replied with a smile before walking out of the room.

Serena turned back to Chuck as Dan stood behind her, massaging her shoulders.

"He'll be fine," he assured her as she smiled gratefully at him. "We have to get going to pick your brother up."

Nodding, Serena gently touched Chuck's shoulder. With a sad smile, she turned and walked out with Dan, leaving her friend in the silence of the room.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter XIII

Opening his eyes, Chuck tried hard to focus on the ceiling in front of him. Groaning softly, he blinked a few times to center his eyes before coughing. Moving his hand to his face, he rubbed his eyes slightly before looking around himself. He was lying in a bed in a dark room that wasn't his own. The drapes had been drawn, keeping the sunlight out and the lights had been dimmed. He suddenly noticed the IV needle that had been inserted in his hand and looked to his right to see a heart monitor also connected to his body. Frowning at the image, he was confused as to why he was in a hospital. Trying to sit up, he felt a fierce pain at the back of his head and groaned aloud. Reaching out for the emergency button, he pressed it repeatedly and sat in the silence of the room until the door finally opened and a female nurse walked in.

"Hi there," she said in her thick southern accent. "Nice to see you awake."

"Where am I?" he choked out before touching his dry throat and coughing.

"Let me get you some water," the twenty-four year old nurse expressed as she brought over a cup for him.

Drinking the fluid down slowly, he leaned back in his pillow and sighed, the movement taking away the little strength he had.

"What happened?" he asked as she smiled at him.

"You had an accident," she replied. "Let me go get your doctor."

With that, she turned around and walked out of the room. After a few minutes, she returned with a male physician who first checked his chart.

"Hi Chuck," he exclaimed with a warm smile. "It's good to see you wake. You had us scared there for a bit."

"Where am I?" he repeated his question from earlier.

"You're in the hospital, son," the doctor explained. "You had an accident at a dinner party, I believe, and were knocked unconscious. You took a rather ugly hit to the back of your head, but we managed to stitch you up."

"How long have I been out?" he inquired, touching the back of his head and feeling the bandage.

"Three days," the doctor replied before checking the monitor. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I had the back of my head bashed in," he stated which caused the physician to smile at him.

Sighing, Chuck looked around the room.

"I don't really remember what happened," he said softly.

"You seem to have a mild concussion and temporary memory loss is normal. But it should all come back to you fairly soon," he explained.

"Where's…?" Chuck began, looking around him again. "Where's Blair?"

"Who is that?" the nurse asked. "Is she the pretty blond girl who keeps visiting you?"

"No, that's Serena," Chuck replied and coughed. "Blair's a brunette. She's my girlfriend."

"Oh yes," the nurse exclaimed. "She was here the night they brought you in but we haven't seen her here for a few days."

Frowning at her words, Chuck struggled to sit up in the bed.

"Be careful," the doctor said, helping him.

"When can I leave?" he asked.

"Now that you're awake, we'd like to keep you for some additional tests to make sure that the laceration on your head didn't cause any damage to your brain activity," the physician replied.

"How long is that going to take?" Chuck asked impatiently.

"It shouldn't be more than a few hours," the physician replied. "I'll have Jessica here bring you down for a Head CT in a bit."

With that, the doctor turned and walked out of the room as Jessica walked to the window and pulled the drapes back, letting the sunlight in. Chuck winced and turned his face away from the direct light to allow his eyes to adjust to the sudden change in shade.

"Can I make a phone call?" he asked as Jessica walked over to him. "Where's my cell phone?"

"No cell phones," she replied. "Hospital policy. Use the phone over there."

Motioning the phone on the stand beside him, she placed it on his lap.

"Dial extension 334 first before calling and no long distance," she said with a smile. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

When she left the room, Chuck removed the receiver and dialed Blair's cell phone. The response was automated, telling him that the cell phone was off and the voice mail was full. Sighing, he hung up the phone before dialing Serena who went straight to voice mail.

"Hey Serena," he said, finding it difficult to speak. "It's me, Chuck. I just woke up. Can you come to the hospital, please?"

With that, he sighed and hung up the phone, closing his eyes and leaning his head back in his pillow. Blair's image came into his mind but was quickly interrupted when Jessica walked back in the room with a wheelchair.

"Come on," she said with a smile, placing the phone back on the stand.

"I can walk," he protested but she shook her head.

"You've been in a coma for three days," she replied. "Come on, I'll help you in the wheelchair."

Walking to the side of the bed, she pulled the covers off and placed her hand under his arm. Pulling him to the side of the bed, she helped him slide off and into the chair. When he was in place, Jessica pushed him out of the room and began wheeling him towards an elevator.

"Has my dad been here?" he asked as they waited for the elevator.

"Sorry sweetie," she replied, causing him to look away. "A blond woman visited you twice. She helped bring you in that night."

"Blond woman?" he asked with a frown before realizing who she meant. "You must mean Lilly."

As they entered the elevator, Chuck leaned his face forward in exhaustion.

"Are you alright?" Jessica asked, noticing his action.

"Just tired," he replied and leaned his head back up. "Do you know what happened? What kind of accident?"

"I don't know any of the details," she replied. "Your friends were pretty mum about it all. They just said that you had gotten into a fight with another boy."

The doors opened and Jessica pushed him down a new hallway. As they went forward, two young nurses walked past them and smiled at him.

"Hi Chuck," they said, waving their hands as he frowned at them.

"Looks like you're quite popular," Jessica suggested.

"I use to be quite a…," he let his sentence trail off.

"Womanizer?" she said for him as he tossed her a glance.

"I _guess_ you could say that," he replied.

"But you're not anymore?" she asked.

Remaining quiet for a moment, he shook his head.

"I just want to see my girlfriend," he said quietly.

"I see," Jessica exclaimed, pushing him through a set of doors. "You met the perfect girl and she makes you want to be a better person, right?"

"Something like that," he said as she smiled and continued to wheel him.

As Jessica spoke with another nurse and handed her the chart, Chuck looked around the waiting room. Six people were sitting scattered, three in hospital gowns like him and the other three probably family members. Their eyes were all on him as Jessica turned back.

"Let's go, Casanova," she expressed before pushing him through another set of doors. "I'll be waiting for you outside when you're done."

When she left the room, Chuck turned and faced the female physician who entered the room.

"Hi Chuck," she greeted him. "I'm Dr. Wales and I'm going to perform your CT scan for you, alright?"

He nodded at her and she moved to a computer as he looked around himself. After a while, the scan was finally completed and the doctor helped Chuck back into his wheelchair. Opening the door, she pushed him out to the waiting Jessica who began moving him back to his room.

"Was that so bad?" she asked as he scoffed.

"I've had plenty of those in my life," he replied. "I've had cat scans, MRI's and so many other procedures."

"Do you get into fights often?" she asked, pushing him out of the elevator.

"Occupational hazard," he said grimly as they arrived at his room.

Inside, Serena jumped to her feet when she saw them.

"Chuck!" she exclaimed, rushing to his side. "You're finally awake."

"Do you need help getting into bed?" Jessica asked him.

"I'll help," Serena replied as Jessica smiled.

"Doctor Williams will be in shortly," she said before leaving the room.

"I'm so happy you're awake and alright," Serena said, helping him to his feet and towards the bed.

"I'm awake," he said with a groan as he moved onto the bed and sat back with a sigh. "Not too sure about the okay part."

"One step at a time," Serena said before sitting on the side of the bed. "So do you remember what happened?"

"Not really," he replied with a frown. "The doc said I'd have temporary memory loss because of the concussion or something. Do you want to fill me in?"

"Eleanor asked you and Blair to come to dinner at their home. My mom and I were also there. So were Nate and his parents…and your father," she said quietly.

"What happened?" he asked as she sighed softly.

"You and your dad got into a pretty bad fight…about your mom. You said how he beat you," she said quietly, causing Chuck to look down. "He got angry and attacked you."

"So my dad did this?" he asked as she nodded.

"He pushed you pretty hard and your head hit a glass lamp that was on the wall," she explained. "The glass shattered and cut the back of your head."

"Why am I not surprised it was my dad?" he asked aloud to no one in particular, his eyes still downcast.

"Chuck?" she asked. "Why didn't you ever tell anyone?"

Looking up, she saw the beginning of tears in his eyes.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he replied and exhaled. "Where's Blair? I tried her cell phone but her voice mail was full and the nurse told me she hadn't been here for three days. Is she alright?"

Looking away from him, Serena came to get off the bed but he grabbed her hand and held her in place.

"Serena?" he asked worriedly. "Where's Blair?"

"I really don't know how to say this," she began.

"Is she okay?" he asked slowly.

"She's fine," Serena replied.

"Then what is it?" he asked.

"She left," Serena finally said after a pause.

"What do you mean?" he said with a frown. "Where did she go?"

"She left town, Chuck," she exclaimed.

He sat in silence for a moment before speaking. "I don't understand."

"She told her mom that she had been through so much lately and needed to get away to clear her mind," Serena explained.

"So she left town…just like that?" Chuck asked and scoffed. "Did you talk to her?"

"No, her mom told me all of this," she replied.

"And you believe her?" he said in disbelief.

"Why would she lie?" Serena questioned.

"Because she hates me and thinks I'm bad for her daughter," he stated. "Where did Eleanor say she went?"

"L.A," she said quietly.

"Serena, come on," he said incredulously.

"Chuck," she began before exhaling and removing a letter from her purse. "This is for you. Blair left it."

Staring at her for a long moment, he took the letter and slowly unfolded it.

_Chuck,_

_I'm really sorry to leave you while you're in the hospital hurt, but so much has happened and I needed to get away. Ever since you and I got together, things have gone from bad to worse from my mom to Nate to your dad and I don't think I can handle it anymore. I'm sorry for hurting you, but I need to be on my own. I want for you to be happy, but your life is too complicated for me and I can't give you what you want from me. Please try and understand and don't come looking for me. I won't see you if you do._

_Blair_

Dropping his hands onto his lap, Chuck stared into thin air ahead of him.

"So she just left?" he asked again as Serena sighed.

"Do you remember how I took off last year? I needed to get away then…maybe Blair does too," she tried to explain but he shook his head.

"No. She wouldn't do that," he said firmly. "She wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. I don't care what this letter says."

"But…?" she began.

"This doesn't sound like Blair," he said, motioning the letter before tossing it aside. "She feisty and aggressive most of the time and those are two things I love about her. She has a vulnerable side too, but she never backs down. She stays and fights."

With that, he pushed his legs to the side of the bed and struggled to get up.

"What are you doing?" she asked, getting to her feet.

"I'm going to go find her," he said before wincing from a sharp pain in his head.

"Chuck, the doctor hasn't okayed you to leave yet," she exclaimed as he grabbed his clothes from the chair next to him.

"She wouldn't leave while I was here," he stated. "Not without telling me."

With that, he slowly walked into the bathroom and shut the door. A few minutes later, he walked out dressed in the same clothes as that night. Only a few buttons of his shirt were done and his shirt was not tucked in his pants.

"Chuck, let's talk to your doctor first," Serena tried to convince him as he wore his shoes.

"I'm still a bit dizzy. Will you help me?" he said, facing her.

Sensing that his mind had been made, Serena supported his weight and they walked out together. Seeing them, Jessica met them at the nurse's station.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked with a brow raised.

"I need to get out of here," he replied.

"What you need to do is go back and lie down in your room before you hurt yourself even more," Jessica stated.

"Please, there's someone I need to find," he pleaded with her.

Pausing for a moment, she consented but picked up the hospital phone and paged Dr. Williams. "You need to see your doctor first."

As he leaned slightly at the desk, Dr. Williams walked over to them.

"Are you signing out?" he asked and Chuck nodded. "I strongly advise against it."

"I have to find someone. It's important," he defended his actions.

"I took a quick look at your Head CT results and there's some swelling on your brain that worries me," the doctor explained. "When a person suffers a blow to the head, it immediately results in a concussion, loss of consciousness and memory loss…all effects that you've experienced. The hit that you took to the back of your head wasn't a small one, I'm afraid, and if you start bleeding into your brain, it can easily lead to brain damage. We need to keep you here for observation and run further tests to see if it can be ruled out."

"Listen, I understand all of that, okay? But I need to find my girlfriend," he said firmly. "After I talk to her, I'll check back in here."

"Your treatment is incomplete. You do understand that you can cause severe neurological damage to yourself if you are discharged and start bleeding in your brain?" the doctor said in a strict tone.

"Chuck, listen to him please," Serena declared.

"I just need to find her and make sure she's okay," he stated.

"You're under eighteen. You cannot sign out with a legal parent or guardian…," he began, but Chuck cut him off.

"Look, I'm not an idiot, alright?" he said. "I understand that I could harm myself if I leave, but I don't plan on being out longer than a couple hours. I need for you to let me go and I promise that I'll come back."

"Call your mother or father…," Dr. Williams began again.

"My mother is dead and my father is the one who did this," Chuck blurted out, causing the physicians to look at him, stunned. "So you see, I have no one to call."

"Have you notified the authorities?" Jessica asked.

"No, I don't know what I want to do," he said, shaking his head. "Hell, I don't even remember anything yet. But I need to go right now."

"You understand that I am setting myself up for a lawsuit if something happens to you," the doctor exclaimed and shook his head. "Listen son, I'm sorry for everything you are going through, but I cannot let you leave. I would be putting myself and this hospital at risk of a lawsuit."

"I'm not going to sue you!" Chuck expressed, but the doctor shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he stated. "I'm going to have to ask you to go back to your room."

When Chuck didn't budge, the doctor sighed.

"I can get security," he said softly. "Son, this is for your own good. Please go."

Sighing angrily, Chuck turned and walked back into his room, followed by Serena.

"I'm glad you changed your mind," she said in relief as he stood by the door.

"I'm not staying," he stated, causing her to frown.

"But I thought…," she began as he faced her.

"The moment they leave, we're going to head down the hall. I think there's an elevator there," he replied.

"Chuck!" she exclaimed.

"Serena, please," he pleaded with her. "Help me, please."

Sighing, she finally agreed as he faced the hall again. He stayed there for a few minutes and once the coast was clear, he motioned her with his hand. Together, they crept down the hall towards the back elevator, glancing behind them every few seconds. Once they were in the elevator, they sighed in relief. Getting out in the lobby, Serena helped him out of the main doors. Upstairs, Jessica grabbed a couple charts and began walking down the hallway. Stopping at his door, she lost her smile and shook her head.

"Why does this not surprise me?" she said before heading back to the nurse's station and grabbing the phone.

"I swear to God, I'll kill you myself if you do something crazy Chuck," Serena exclaimed, helping him in the backseat of her car and getting in herself before facing her driver. "The Waldorf residence, please."

As the driver pulled into the street, Serena turned and faced him, keeping her eye on him at all times. Once they reached their destination, she helped him out of the car and into the lobby. Everyone stood back and watched as they struggled through the lobby and into the elevator. When they reached the top floor, they got out and moved towards the Waldorf door. Serena knocked three times before the door swung open and a surprised Eleanor greeted them.

"Serena," she said and faced him. "And Chuck…what are you doing here?"

"Where is she, Mrs. Waldorf?" he asked, walking inside.

Grabbing hold of a side table to steady himself, he took a deep, calming breath.

"Where's who?" Eleanor asked as he faced her angrily.

"Where is my _girlfriend_, Mrs. Waldorf?" he said in a cold tone.

"Oh, I thought Serena would tell you," Eleanor exclaimed. "She decided to go to California for the rest of the semester. Your life proved to be too dramatic for her, apparently."

He stared at her for a long moment, his eyes betraying him and revealing the sadness he felt.

"No…I don't believe it," he said, shaking his head.

"Charlie, my daughter has her entire future mapped out for herself and going to Yale is at the top of her list. One week with you and look at all that has happened," Eleanor stated. "You were dragging her down and pulling her away from her dreams."

"She wouldn't leave like this," he said quietly.

"She already did," Eleanor replied.

Shaking his head again, he turned towards the bedrooms. "Blair?"

"She's not here," Eleanor said firmly as Serena looked down sadly.

Letting the table go, he began heading towards her bedroom as they followed him.

"Blair?" he shouted before swinging her door open.

What he saw made him stop cold. Her entire room was emptied out with nothing

but a few boxes remaining.

"If she ever really cared about you, she would have made the effort to say goodbye in person rather than leaving you a note," Eleanor stated.

"Mrs. Waldorf!" Serena exclaimed in disbelief as she faced her.

"It's the truth," she said before facing Chuck again. "Don't you see that she never really loved you? She was simply confused this past week but now she realized her mistake and needed to get away and recover from the emotional roller coaster you put her through. It's your fault she left you, young man. No one else is to blame. Perhaps if you were more like Nathaniel, she would have stayed."

When he turned around to face her, Eleanor was surprised at the broken look in his eyes. Without another word, he turned and slowly walked out.

"Mrs. Waldorf, how can you be so insensitive?" she asked.

When Eleanor didn't respond, she turned and followed Chuck out. Eleanor sighed aloud and sat down on the couch in her sitting room. Lifting a tequila drink to her lips with a shaky hand, she took a sip and quickly lowered the glass. Taking an uneven breath, she closed her eyes and leaned her forehead onto her palm. Chuck was already out on the sidewalk before she finally reached him.

"Chuck, wait!" she exclaimed, pulling his arm.

"Don't," he said; his voice a mixture of sadness and anger. "Just leave me alone."

"Chuck, you need to go back to the hospital!" she called as he walked away from her. "Chuck!"

But her pleas were of no use. With a slightly lowered head he moved away from her, leaving Serena standing alone on the sidewalk. Thirty minutes had passed before he reached the Palace Hotel…the place he called home. The bellman George and the manager had both welcomed him back, but he had passed them by without a word.

Once he was inside his suite, he looked around himself quietly. Walking over to the desk in his room, he opened the drawer and removed the Cartier necklace he had bought Blair…the one he had picked up after she had tossed it away while leaving Victrola. Slowly tightening his grip around the diamond necklace, he moved towards his fireplace and lit it. After a flame had erupted, Chuck stood back and took a final glance at the necklace. He then suddenly tossed it angrily into the fire along with the letter. As he watched them burn, he abruptly turned around and began destroying the room. With an angry scream, he destroyed all of the furniture, throwing things violently across the room. A sudden, shooting pain in his head caused him to double over and grab the sides of his face. The pain was so sharp and severe that he fell on his stomach over the broken pieces of glass below. As he laid there unconscious, in a room of broken furniture, the remainders of the necklace and the letter burned within the fire.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter XIV

The house was rather large, made of old English oak. Mahogany drapes were drawn to block the sunlight from entering the house. Every step one took revealed a rather loud squeak in the floor. In the first floor was a sitting room with an old fireplace and a brown leather sofa. Across the sitting room was a kitchen and a small bathroom. Up the wooden stairs were three rooms: a master bedroom, a second bedroom and a family room. The second bedroom sat at the very end of the long, narrow hall with dimly lit lamps. Inside the second bedroom was a small bed, a bathroom, a closet, desk and chair and a window that had been boarded up. In the corner of the dark room sat Blair, crawled up into a small ball on the ground with her back leaned on the wall. Her knees were pointing up as she held them close to her chest with her arms. She had a tired look on her face and a weary look in her eyes. A gentle knock came on the door and she tilted her head up slightly towards it. A moment passed before the door opened and an elderly male walked inside carrying a tray.

"Hi Blair," he greeted her warmly as she stared at him blankly. "I brought you some dinner."

Placing the tray on the bed, he looked up at her.

"Will you eat tonight?" he asked her.

"Will you let me go?" she replied, her voice revealing her exhaustion and weakness as he shook his head and sighed.

"We already went through this, Blair," he stated. "I thought you had finally accepted it."

"Accepted the fact that I'm a prisoner in a foreign country because of my psychotic mother?" she said with an angry scoff and looked away. "That'll never happen."

Sighing again, he looked at the young girl with sympathy.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, sweetheart," he said quietly in his British accent. "Eat your dinner."

With that, he turned and walked out of the room, locking it behind him. Staring at the locked door, Blair's eyes slowly moved to the tray of food. Forcing herself to her feet, she sat down on the bed and stared down at the dinner before her. There was a plate of mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, boiled chicken and peas with a side of salad and cake. She stared at the food for a long time, her mind debating whether or not she should eat it. Her hand then slowly moved to the fork and picked it up. Moving to the plate, she took a small bite of the chicken and then another and another. Within minutes, the entire plate was finished along with the salad. As she took a final mouthful of the cake, Blair dropped the fork onto the empty plate. Looking up with anguished eyes, she quickly ran towards the bathroom and fell in front of the toilet, throwing up everything she had just eaten. Once the contents of her stomach had been emptied, her shaky hand flushed the toilet before she leaned her back against the bathroom wall. Tears streamed down her face and she began crying aloud. Burying her face in her hands, she turned away from the toilet and curled into a ball on the floor, her cries intensifying.

Opening his eyes, Chuck slowly looked around himself and realized that he was back in the hospital, in a room similar to the last one. Sitting up slightly, he rubbed his tired eyes just as Dr. Williams walked into the room.

"Perfect timing," he expressed, checking his chart before sighing. "Do you know how many rules you broke leaving the hospital the way you did?"

Chuck leaned his head back and remained silent.

"Well I hope that it was worth it because you could have almost killed yourself," he continued. "Apparently your neighbors heard some commotion coming from your suite and if the manager hadn't come up to check on you…"

He let the sentence trail off as Chuck looked at him with sad eyes and cuts down the sides of his face that had been treated with antiseptic.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he said sadly before looking away.

The doctor was unsure of what to say to comfort him and decided to stick with the issue of his treatment.

"We've ran a series of tests and it's concluded that you do not have any serious neurological damage," he explained. "You passed out because of the side effects of your surgery and concussion. You're very lucky, Mr. Bass."

Chuck refused to look at him and instead stared at the windows in his room.

"You will be able to leave later today if you can get a parent or guardian to sign you out," he continued. "As I remember, you mentioned that your father…"

"I lied," Chuck said suddenly, cutting the doctor off.

"But I thought…," he began.

"I said I lied," he repeated. "I would have said anything to leave…but now I have no reason to."

"Are you sure you're telling me the truth?" Dr. Williams asked sternly.

Turning to face him, Chuck revealed his glossy eyes. "Please leave me alone."

With that, he turned back to the windows as Dr. William nodded slightly.

"Then we will contact your father," he said before walking out.

Once he was gone, Chuck ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. Leaning back, he closed his eyes to relax, but Blair's image popped into his mind. The memory of Victrola that first night came flooding back to him and he scrunched his eyes, wanting nothing better than to forget.

An hour passed before Bart Bass walked into the hospital, dressed in a crisp grey suit and a black overcoat, looking every bit the rich Park Avenue resident that he was. Speaking at the main desk, he got the address for his son's room and walked in with a deep breath. What he saw made him slow down. Chuck was sitting up in the bed with his face buried in his hands. Clearing his throat, he got his attention as Chuck opened his eyes and looked up. Bart finally noticed the cuts o his face and had to bite back a gasp.

"Chuck," he said firmly. "I can see that you are alright."

Scoffing, he looked away from his father. "What do you want?"

"I was called by the hospital to come and sign you out," Bart exclaimed before softening his voice. "Chuck, I wanted to apologize…"

"Don't bother," he replied, tossing the covers aside and getting to his feet.

"Wait," he pleaded with him. "Just wait…please let me say this."

With his hands at his waist, he shrugged his shoulders motioning for his father to continue.

"I want you to know how sorry I am…for everything," Bart began, the sincerity in his voice puzzling his son. "I know that I haven't shown it properly ever since your mom…but I _do _love you. I love you so much, son."

He came to take a step towards him, but Chuck instinctively stepped back, causing Bart to stop in his tracks.

"I just…I want you to know that I'm going to get help," he continued. "I _need_ help because I'm so close to losing the one important person in my life…if I haven't lost you already. I'm so sorry, son. I am so, so sorry."

Chuck stared at his father with a frown, unsure of how to take all of this.

"You can't just come in here and apologize and expect everything to be okay because it's not," he said firmly. "I don't think that I can ever forgive you for any of this. Both for hitting me all those times and for the hateful words you said the other night. I didn't remember it at first but I remember it now. You said that you _hate_ me because of mom and that you blame me for her death. How can I forgive any of that?"

"I don't expect you to forgive me overnight. I understand how badly I have behaved towards you, how I used you as a scapegoat for my shortcomings both as a husband and a father," he expressed. "I just want you to know how sorry I am and how much I love you. You are my son, Charlie, and I love you with all of my heart."

Chuck couldn't believe the man standing in front of him was the same father who had attacked him both verbally and physically a few nights ago. Needing a couple minutes away from him, Chuck grabbed his clothes and stumbled into the bathroom as Bart watched him go with teary eyes. He stood in the silence of the room for almost five minutes before the door opened and Chuck stepped out, tossing the hospital gown on the bed beside him.

"I'm glad that you are going to get help because you really need it…professional help," he exclaimed and sighed. "But as for any relationship with me…I can't do it. I can't forgive you. Too much damage has been done between us and we can't go back."

"Chuck…," Bart began, but his son held his hand up.

"What you did to me…no child should ever be beaten by his or her parent," he exclaimed, forcing Bart to look down in shame. "_I_ saw mom being raped, not you and she killed herself over her guilt for _me_, not you. How do you think I felt all these years? How do you think I felt thinking my mom killed herself because of me? It _killed_ me, dad!"

Bart smiled sadly on the inside at hearing his son calling him by an endearing term.

"And the one person who I thought would be there for me and help me grieve was the one person who couldn't stand being in the same room as me without feeling disgusted…without hitting me," Chuck stated as Bart looked away again. "I can't let it all go and I can't get past it. I want you to get help for your sake but as for a relationship with me…that ended a long time ago."

With that, he turned and walked out of the room as Bart watched him go sadly. Dr. Williams watched him go and before he was able to object, Chuck pointed behind him.

"He just signed me out," he said aloud before disappearing down the hall.

The Doctor turned and stared at Bart who watched the departing frame of his son desolately. Once he was outside, Chuck stepped onto the sidewalk and glanced around himself. People who passed him by stared at him with frowns and looks of awe at the cuts on his face and the bandage behind his head that had been made smaller. Finally hailing a cab, he gave Victrola's address and made his way to the club. When he was inside, he made his way to the back of the uninhabited club to his personal table. It was only six o'clock at night and the club held only the workers. Falling into his seat heavily, he leaned his head back and sighed.

"Hey," one of the younger dancers exclaimed, sitting down next to him as he faced her. "You look terrible."

She was dressed in complete uniform and leaned back towards him.

"What do you need, baby?" she asked, touching the side of his face tenderly.

"I don't want to feel," he whispered.

"Then I have just what you need," she said, reaching into her pocket and removing a white powder that was inside a small clear bag.

"What is that?" he asked with a frown as she opened the bag.

"Just a little something to make you forget," she replied.

"Heroin?" he asked in disbelief before pushing her hand away. "I don't take that shit."

"You said you want to forget," she began. "I think you want to forget what gave you all those bruises and what put that sadness in your eyes, right?"

When he didn't answer, she smiled and leaned in closer to him.

"You've taken this stuff before, Chuck," she said as his eyes met hers. "You're not exactly a virgin in any category."

He looked away from her, but the corner of his eyes remained on the powder in her hand.

"Come on," she said, taking his hand and putting the substance in his palm. "You know you want it."

Chuck stared at it for another unsure moment before lifting his eyes to meet hers again.

"I have nothing left. I lost my best friend, the girl I love and I have no family left," he said quietly, his voice both dark and grave. "Why not self-destruct fully?"

Before she was able to say anything, he took the substance from her and leaned forward. Placing his nose at the bag, he took a single sniff before closing his eyes and holding the sides of his head for a couple minutes. Tossing the bag to the girl, he leaned back in his seat and looked around himself with a dazed expression and blurry vision.

"Enjoy," the girl whispered before placing the almost-empty bag back in her pocket and leaving the table.

Chuck continued to look around himself before his eye lids grew heavy and he slowly closed his eyes.


	15. Author's Note

Hey guys,

The reviews are great as always! I can't believe I wrote heroin when I really did mean cocaine! I guess that's what happens when I write these chapters at midnight (since it's the only time in the day that I have) LOL. I know there's been lots of drama in the past few chapters, but that's all going to end. Chuck's going to revert back to his former "Take no BS" self and so will Blair LOL. Hope you guys like it :)


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter XV

Moving his head, Chuck felt warmth over his face and slowly opened his eyes. He was laying down on a leather sofa with a blanket draped over him. Struggling to sit up, he noticed Bethany, the lady in charge of the dancers in the club, sitting on a chair next to him with her arms crossed at her chest.

"What happened?" he asked, holding the sides of his head.

"You had some fun last night," she replied.

She was forty years old and stared at him through the eyes of a disappointed mother.

"Fun?" he asked with a scoff.

"One of my dancers, Cynthia, gave you drugs ," she explained as he leaned back in his seat and sighed aloud.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, lying.

He was the complete image of hell. His hair was messy on his head, his eyes were blood-shot red from the drugs and lack of sleep and his clothes were ruffled. Shaking the image in front of her away, Bethany removed the small packet of powder from her jeans pocket and held it out in front of him to see.

"Why did you do it?" she asked him calmly.

"Why does it matter?" he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Cynthia mentioned that you have a drug problem," Bethany commented.

"I _had_," he stated as she tilted her head slightly to the side. "I've been clean for over two years."

"Until last night, you mean," she corrected him as he looked away. "So why did you do it."

"Maybe I did it because I'm tired!" he suddenly snapped at her, rising to his feet as she watched him carefully. "I'm tired of people saying sorry and I'm tired of people leaving all the time!"

"Who left?" she asked softly.

"Everyone!" he exclaimed and sighed. "No one…it doesn't matter anymore."

Rising to her feet, she placed a hand on his arm in comfort.

"Chuck, you are a strong person," she began as he looked into her eyes with his hopeless ones. "I may not know you for that long, but I can see that you can do anything you want whenever you put your mind to it. The person standing in front of me is not the person who walked into Victrola for the first time a few weeks ago."

He looked away from her as she spoke.

"Who left?" she repeated her question.

"Blair," he finally said her name.

"Is that the pretty brunette you were with?" she asked as he nodded. "Your girlfriend?"

He nodded again and she smiled.

"So she left town?" she asked.

"My life was too dramatic for her," he said in a mixture of bitterness and dismay.

"You know this girl, I don't. Is she the type of person to run away when things get tough? Or does she stay and fight back?" Bethany said as he faced her.

"She fights back," he expressed.

"So why'd she leave?" she asked and he shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not sure anymore," he replied honestly. "I'm confused about everything."

"I think you know what you should do," Bethany said as he gave her a confused expression. "Go and get her back."

He stared at her for a long moment and realization slowly dawned upon him.

"If you love this girl as much as you clearly do, then go and get her back," she exclaimed, smiling when she saw hope appear in his brown eyes.

With that, she turned to leave but his words stopped her.

"Why do you care?" he asked as she turned to face him. "You don't even know me."

"Someone has to," she said sweetly before walking out.

Her words had a profound effect on him. Seconds later, he made his way out of the back room and through the club. Rushing onto the sidewalk, he hailed a cab and head towards his hotel. Once he reached his suite, he quickly head past the destroyed furniture and towards the shower, making sure the hot water stayed away from the bandage on the back of his head. Stepping out, he shaved the rough stubble that had grown across his chin and changed into fresh clothes. With a white shirt and black dress pants, he wore his black overcoat and grabbed his wallet and passport. When he reentered the lobby, the manager rushed towards him.

"I'll pay for the damages," he exclaimed before rushing outside.

Getting into another cab, he made his way towards Eleanor's office. It was a rather large building with glass windows illuminating the rays of the sun from outside. Walking towards the lobby receptionist, he offered the young girl behind the counter a smile.

"I'm looking for Eleanor Waldorf," he said as the girl smiled back.

"Mrs. Waldorf just stepped out for lunch ten minutes ago," she replied.

Feigning disappointment, Chuck sighed.

"I guess I'll go wait for her at the receptionist's desk upstairs," he said, smirking softly before heading for the elevators.

The girl watched him go and smiled inwardly after he had disappeared. When he reached the top floor, he began heading down the main hallway. Quickly passing Eleanor's office, he looked for a certain name on one of the doors. Finding the person he was looking for, he knocked three times and waited for an answer.

"Come in," a male voice said from inside.

Opening the door, Chuck stepped inside the room and closed it behind him quietly.

"Just leave the files on my desk Jeanine," Patrick, Eleanor's assistant, explained.

Walking up to the desk, he cast a shadow over the man who finally looked up from the book in front of him. Surprised by who it was, Patrick removed his reading glasses and leaned back in his chair.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Bass?" he asked.

"Where is she?" Chuck said in reply.

"Eleanor has stepped out for lunch," he replied.

Moving over to the other side of the desk, Chuck slowly leaned his face down.

"Where is _she_?" he repeated.

"Who are you talking about?" Patrick said with his brows raised.

"Wrong answer," Chuck stated before grabbing the other man's collar and pulling him out of his chair.

As Patrick gasped in surprise, Chuck pushed him violently into the wall.

"What the hell are you doing?" he exclaimed, but Chuck pushed him hard into another wall.

"I'm going to get a response one way or another," he exclaimed angrily. "Now tell me where she is in L.A!"

When Patrick didn't answer, Chuck moved him across the room and pushed him into the side of his desk.

"Alright!" he finally shouted, holding his hands up in defense. "Alright, just calm down!"

Chuck simply tightened his hold on the man's collar and brought his face down closer to his.

"Tell me where she is," he growled.

"She's not in Los Angeles," Patrick blurted out, causing Chuck to freeze in his spot.

"What?" he asked with a frown, loosening his grip and slightly leaning back.

"She never went to L.A," Patrick replied, pulling himself out of his grasp and straightening his suit.

"What are you talking about? Eleanor said…," he began.

"Eleanor lied," Patrick cut in. "Blair never wanted to leave. She forced her to go."

"What do you mean 'she forced her'?" Chuck asked quietly.

Patrick stared at the young man before him for a long moment before finally responding.

"She had her drugged and taken away," he revealed.

Chuck's eyes widened in shock by his words.

"Look, you have to understand that Eleanor loves her daughter very much. She was only doing what she thought was right," he tried to explain his Boss' actions.

"By drugging her?" Chuck exclaimed angrily.

"She was afraid that she was going to lose Blair…just like she lost her husband," he stated softly.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Chuck took a small pace around the office before facing him again.

"Where?" he repeated.

"London," Patrick replied. "She has her staying with a friend of hers."

"Give me the address," he snapped.

Knowing that there was no point in refusing him, Patrick searched his drawer and removed a small slip of paper.

"I swear to God I'll kill you myself if you warn her that I now," Chuck threatened him, snapping the piece of paper out of his hand.

"I never agreed with Eleanor on any of this," Patrick replied in dismay. "I apologize for my part in it."

Taking his words as confirmation, Chuck rushed out of the office. Quickly boarding the elevator, he got off in the lobby and ran outside, hailing a cab with a loud whistle. Upstairs, Patrick fell into his seat and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He was definitely losing his job now.

_So Chuck finally knows why Blair left…and who forced her to go. Will he be able to rescue her from London? I always say it's never safe to bet on a Bass…but hell hath no fury like Chuck Bass scorned. Until next time, XOXO Gossip Girl _


	17. Chapter 16

Getting off at the South Kensington metro stop, Chuck dashed up the stairs past the many people and onto street level. Glancing around himself at the busy intersection, he noticed a large gathering of people outside a pub on his right. They were peeping inside through the window, watching the soccer game that was playing on the television screens. Turning his attention back to the task at hand, he removed a small piece of paper from his pocket.

_And I'd give up forever to touch you  
Cause I know that you feel me somehow_

Looking up at the street names, Chuck began jogging forward and cut his way through traffic to the other side of the road. Making his way through the many pedestrians walking, he glanced at house numbers until he found the one he was looking for. Staring up at the old house, he noticed the boarded up windows upstairs and the thought of Blair being held prisoner inside made his heart ache. Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand on the rough-textured door.

_You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be  
And I don't want to go home right now_

Knocking on the door, he stepped back and waited patiently until the door swung open. On the other side stood Philip, the man who had been looking after Blair all this time.

"May I help you?" he asked in his British accent.

"Is this 110 Gwynder Road?" Chuck asked quietly as the man nodded.

"Yes," he stated. "And who are you?"

Staring at the man for a long moment, Chuck pushed his way inside.

_And all I can taste is this moment,  
And all I can breathe is your life_

"Excuse me!" Philip exclaimed, turning to face him. "Get out of my house."

"Where is she?" Chuck asked with his back to him as he moved through the house in a desperate manner.

"Who?" Philip said with a frown.

Turning to face him, Philip noticed the mixture of anger and sadness in the young man's eyes.

"Where is _she_?" he asked, his voice sounding almost broken.

_Cause sooner or later it's over  
I just don't want to miss you tonight _

"Blair?" the man asked in realization before sighing quietly. "I let her go."

"You let her go?" Chuck asked in angry disbelief. "Why the hell should I believe you?"

"Because despite what you or she may think, I'm not a monster," Philip began. "I couldn't stand to see her cry."

At the thought of her locked away in a foreign place crying, Chuck closed his eyes to compose himself.

"I'm not lying," Philip stated quietly.

Opening his eyes, Chuck suddenly grabbed the man and pushed him hard into the wall.

"Where did she go?" he asked.

"I offered her some money and to take her to the embassy, but she took the money and left about an hour ago," he stated, holding his hands up in defense.

"If I find out that you hurt her in _any_ way…," Chuck began, his voice laced with fury. "I swear to God that I'll kill you myself."

With another push, Chuck turned and left the house as Philip ran a hand through his hair.

_And I don't want the world to see me  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am_

Outside, it had begun raining heavily. Making his way through traffic, Chuck ran inside the metro once more. After asking the attendant which metro stop the American Embassy was at, he paid for a ticket, rushed down the stairs and into a metro car. Wiping the rain from his face, he held onto one of the side bars next to the metro car door and waited impatiently until the conductor moved. The metro cabin was filled with many people going about their own individual days, all distracted with their own lives to notice the pained look in his eyes. After twenty minutes and changing metro lines, he pushed his way through the crowd of people and stepped onto street level. The rain had become much harder, pouring down from the cloudy sky above. Glancing around himself through the busy intersection and past the many people who walked by him, his eyes caught hold of someone familiar on the other side of the road.

_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming  
Or the moment of truth in your lies  
When everything seems like the movies  
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive_

Scrunching his eyes slightly from the rain, he focused on a slender female dressed in a black skirt and a white shirt, hugging herself from the coldness of the rain. Her posture made her appear tired and defeated as she made her way through the crowded sidewalk, completely drenched.

"Blair!" he suddenly exclaimed at the top of his lungs.

Everyone on the street watched him with frowns before continuing their own journeys. The young girl froze on the other side of the street and slowly turned around. Looking up quietly, her worn out eyes landed on the one person her heart had ached for all this time…and the one person she never thought she'd she.

_And I don't want the world to see me  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am_

As the hard rain continued to pour down on them, they stood frozen on opposite sides of the road and simply stared at one another with a deep and heated gaze. Her lips quickly formed into a smile as she realized that he was real and not a figment of her imagination. Finally finding his feet again, Chuck made his way through the busy traffic and ignored the sounds of honks as Blair watched him in silence, holding her shaky arms out to him. Once he reached her side of the road, he made his way to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. She was frozen at first within his grasp, but then felt the warmth of his hold on her and met the passion in his kiss. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she deepened the kiss as he buried one hand in her hair and let the other one hold her waist tightly.

_I don't want the world to see me  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am_

Finally leaning back, they ignored the glances and whispers of the people around them and focused only on one another, leaning their foreheads on one another's.

"I can't believe you're here," she expressed, her cries mixing with the rain.

Staring into her eyes intensely, he caressed her cheek and leaned his face down closer to hers.

"I love you," was all he said in a coarse whisper, the three words giving more comfort to Blair than anything else ever could.

Smiling at him, she touched the sides of his face before crushing her lips back onto his. This time, their kiss wasn't urgent or needy; it was long and private. When they leaned back, Blair placed the side of her head on his shoulder and tucked her arms between their chests as he wrapped his arms around her, covering her small back with his overcoat.

_I just want you to know who I am  
I just want you to know who I am  
_

They stood on the sidewalk in a tight embrace, uncaring to the rest of the world around them as the rain continued to descend from the sky above.

the song is Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter XVII

As Blair glanced outside the window, she noticed that the rain had gone from forceful and heavy to soft and silent. Turning around, she looked around the hotel suite Chuck had gotten for them for the night. It was not the largest room she had ever stayed in, but it had certain warmth that the lit candles radiated and that made her feel comfortable. Rubbing her cold arms quietly, she watched Chuck close the door and move around the room quickly. As she stood in silence and watched him, she noticed the drenched bandage on the back of his head and it reminded her of everything he had been through last week.

"The heat's on, so the room should warm up quickly," he said, heading into the bathroom as she continued to watch him.

He returned after a moment with a clean towel. Removing his drenched overcoat and tossing it on the chair by the window, he crossed over to her and draped the towel around her shoulders. Rubbing her arms with the towel, he had his eyes fixed on the task as Blair gazed at him intensely. Touching the sides of his face, she stopped him and forced him to look into her eyes. No words were exchanged between them as they stood in the silence of the room, their closeness giving one another comfort.

"Did that guy hurt you?" he finally asked.

Shaking her head, Blair offered him a small smile.

"He brought me food and tried to make conversation," she exclaimed. "But it was useless."

"At first I…," he began, but his sentence trailed off.

"You what?" she asked him with a slight frown.

"Your mom said that you had left for L.A…to get away from everything," he explained quietly. "To get away from me."

"I'm not surprised she said that," Blair began, hate at the tip of her tone. "I hated being forced to leave everyone and everything I cared about and being held prisoner in a foreign house against my will. It took a while for me to accept that. But accepting the fact that my mother had done this to me took longer."

A few drops of water dripped down from the tips of his hair and onto the carpet floor as he watched her intently.

"I love my mother…despite everything," she stated. "She hasn't been the same after my dad left and she needs psychiatric help. But I don't think I can ever forgive her for doing this to me…for drugging me and taking me away from everyone…from you."

He clenched his jaw and his fists at the thought of her being drugged and she immediately noticed his tense muscles. Gently touching his chest, she eased his anger and calmed him down.

"She needs help," she repeated. "But I can't give that to her. I won't…not after this."

Nodding at her, he looked away and she noticed his bandage again. Gently touching it, he winced slightly and she pulled her hand away.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there when you woke up," she said, tears forming in her eyes and he turned back to face her.

"It wasn't your fault," he replied but she shook her head.

"That doesn't change how I feel," she stated and came to touch the side of his face but pulled back, almost afraid to touch him. "Did you believe what my mom said?"

"None of that matters now," he tried, but she cut him off.

"_Did_ you?" she asked as he sighed.

"Yeah…I did," he said quietly as she looked down and a tear trailed down her cheek.

Lifting her chin up, he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"But _you_ didn't leave…your mom lied to me," he said as she nodded.

"I love you," she suddenly said and the words caused the pain in his eyes to somewhat lessen.

Before he was able to say anything else, Blair pulled him into a kiss. The kiss quickly turned passionate as she moved backwards towards the bed and pulled him with her. Tossing the towel aside, she lied down on the bed and pulled him on top of her, never once breaking their kiss.

_I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away  
I keep your photograph; I know it serves me well  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_

Pulling her shirt off of her body, he tossed it on the ground and placed his hand on her stomach. As she held onto the sides of his face and pulled him in closer to her, he trailed a path up and down her thigh and back onto her stomach. Her hands moved to the buttons on his shirt and her fingers slowly began unbuttoning them one by one. Once the buttons were done, she pulled the shirt off and began trailing her nails up and down his back, sending an electric shock through his body.

'_Cause I'm broken when I'm open  
And I don't feel like I am strong enough  
'cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away_

Moving his hands to her skirt, he broke his lips away from hers and got onto his knees. As Blair gazed up at him with desire in her eyes, he slowly pulled her skirt off her body, leaving her in her undergarments. She reached out for him and he happily moved back into her arms. As their kiss continued, her hands gently caressed the scars on his cheeks, noticing them for the first time.

"Where did you get these from?" she asked, pulling away from him to gaze into his eyes.

"It doesn't matter," he said, but she gave him a frown. "I was self destructing."

"What did you do?" she asked, her eyes growing dark again.

"I'm fine," he lied to her, offering her an assuring smile, but she didn't quite buy it. "Baby, everything I want and need is staring at me right now. I found you and that's all that matters right now."

She smiled softly at his words as he moved back in to kiss her again. Blair sank in the mattress and welcomed the weight of his body over hers.

_The worst is over now and we can breathe again  
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away  
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_

Leaning his face back, he stared down at her and gazed deep into her eyes for a long time. Afraid to break the moment, she simply gazed back at him.

"Please don't ever leave me," he whispered to her suddenly.

The vulnerability behind his words made her heart ache and new tears form in her eyes.

"Please," he whispered again, placing his head on her chest as she embraced him tightly.

It was a rare occasion that Chuck Bass ever showed his vulnerable side to anyone and Blair wanted to savor it.

"I promise," she said softly in his ears, soothing his fears away.

Leaning up again, he gazed back into her eyes before crushing his lips onto hers again. They both equally needed comfort from one another in the moment. As their kissing continued, he slipped out of his pants and they buried themselves beneath the bed sheets.

'_Cause I'm broken when I'm open  
And I don't feel like I am strong enough  
'cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away_

The candles continued to shimmer in the room as they made love in the bed. Their movements weren't careless or hasty, but slow and sensual, comforting one another tenderly.

'_Cause I'm broken when I'm open  
And I don't feel like I am strong enough  
'cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away_

Once they were done, Chuck lied on his back and Blair lied in his arms, placing the side of her face on his chest. They both breathed in one another's scent and remained silent. Chuck leaned his face towards her head and planted a long hiss on the top of her head, causing Blair to close her eyes sadly. Leaning up on her elbow, she gazed down at him.

"I'll never leave you," she said firmly.  
When he smiled at her, she leaned back down and kissed him.

'_Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away_

_You're gone away_

_You don't feel me...anymore_

As the gentle rain continued to fall outside, they made love for the second time that night.

- The song is "Broken" by Seether and Amy Lee


	19. Author's Note 2

Author's Note

Hey guys…sorry I haven't updated in a couple weeks. I got food poisoning on New Year's Eve and have been sick ever since. I'll start updating when I feel a bit better because the story's not over yet! If you guys have any ideas of more storylines you'd like to read, let me know because I'm open to suggestions. Thanks for being patient :)


	20. Chapter 18

Chapter XVIII

Gently opening her eyes, Blair focused her gaze on the small window to her left. As she peered outside, she noticed the clouds departing as the sun shimmered on her face. Feeling a weight on her side, she looked up and saw Chuck smiling at her.

"Hi," she said in a soft voice, blinking the tiredness away from her eyes.

"You snore," he suddenly said, causing her to lean back wide awake and frown at him.

"I do not," she exclaimed as he laughed. "I do _not_ snore!"

"It would be really cute if it weren't so loud," he continued, not giving her a chance to interject. "Honestly, Waldorf, do you have a propeller stuck up your nose or something?"

"Chuck!" she shrieked and began swatting him angrily, but he caught her hands with ease.

"I'm kidding," he said, stifling a laugh. "It's more like a jet engine."

As she gasped at his words, he laughed and released her hands.

"I'm just playing with you," he said, calming her down.

"You're mean, you know that," she stated.

"No I'm not, baby," he said softly,

"Don't call me 'baby' and yes you are," she expressed. "And just so you know…that thing we did last night will be nothing but a distant memory for you as far as I'm concerned."

"What thing?" he asked innocently.

Tossing him a dirty look, she repositioned herself on the airplane seat so she was facing him. They were sitting in the two seats next to the window on the far left aisle of the plane.

"You know what I mean," Blair said quietly.

"Making love?" he began as she looked away, embarrassed. "My memory's a bit hazy. How many times did we do the deed last night? Was it two or three?"

Blair tried her hardest to hide the red blush that had overtaken her cheeks, but he had already noticed.

"There's no need to blush," Chuck stated. "You were like a caged animal wanting nothing more than to be free."

"I so hate you right now," she began as he laughed. "I swear, you…"

Before she was able to say anything further, he crushed his lips onto hers in a short but deep kiss. When he leaned back, he left Blair breathless with swollen lips.

"You know I'm only teasing you," he said, his smile broadening as he lifted his gaze from her lips to her eyes. "We're sparring partners, Blair. Always have been…always will be."

"Sparring partners?" she repeated with an amused grin as he nodded.

"We fight and argue to no end," he exclaimed.

"One of our finer qualities?" she asked as he chuckled lightly.

"One of many," he corrected and sat up in his seat. "After all, I _am_ one of New York's most eligible bachelors…"

"Excuse me?" Blair cut in and cleared her throat. "Bachelor? What makes you think that you're a bachelor?"

When he smiled again, she sighed and leaned back in her seat, realizing that he was playing with her once more.

"You just love getting a rise out of me, don't you?" she asked as he laughed.

"I really do," he admitted. "It's just that I hate seeing all of that passion being held back."

Giving him a sarcastic smile, she crossed her arms at her chest. "So what exactly got you in such a playful mood?"

"I'm happy," he suddenly said, his words surprising her.

"What?" she asked with a slight frown as her arms dropped to her lap.

"We have a lot of problems in front of us when we get home. There's Nate," he began quietly and she realized the sadness in his voice. "Then there's _your_ mom and _my_ dad."

Looking over at her, he smiled softly.

"But then I looked over at you and how peacefully you were sleeping next to me just now," he said. "You make me happy, Blair."

Touched by the sincerity in his words, she placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Moments later, the sign to fasten the seatbelts appeared and the passengers and crew readied for their landing. Once they had finally touched ground, they patiently left the airplane hand in hand and made their way outside towards a cab. Twenty minutes later down the busy streets of New York, the cab pulled to a stop in front of Blair's home. Getting out of the car, they looked up at the tall building, sighed and faced one another.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked quietly, leaning his back onto the side of the cab as she stood between his legs and played with the hem of his shirt.

"No," she finally expressed, shaking her head gently. "This is something I need to do on my own."

"She's not going to pull anything crazy again, is she?" he asked, the worry he was suddenly feeling showing in his eyes.

Touching the sides of his face, she shook her head and smiled. Leaning forward, she pulled his face towards her in a rather long but sweet kiss.

"I'll see you later," she said before turning and heading into her building before she lost the nerve.

He watched her until she had disappeared in the lobby before getting back in the cab. After another few minutes, the cab came to a stop in front of Bart's condominium. Paying the driver, he took a deep breath and walked inside the luxurious lobby.

Once Blair had reached her suite, she slowly walked in and quickly realized that no one was home. Walking down the hallway and into her bedroom, she looked at the empty space around her and remembered that most of her things had been sent to London. Noticing a few remaining boxes stacked in the corner of her room, Blair head back into the hallway and retrieved a small gym bag from a closet. Stepping back into her room, she began packing some of her personal items in silence.

After hesitating for a few minutes, Chuck finally twisted the doorknob and carefully entered his father's suite. Looking around the empty living room, his eyes suddenly locked with his father's as Bart entered the room. Both men stood in silence and stared at one another before Chuck cleared his throat.

"I just came by to see…," he began quietly, but his sentence trailed off. "Are you getting any help?"

Realizing how difficult the conversation was for Chuck, Bart smiled inwardly at the effort his son was making.

"Nathaniel's father took me to see a friend of his…a therapist," Bart replied nervously, noticing that the wounds on his son's face were still clearly visible and that the bandage was still taped to the back of his head. "It's a start, right?"

Nodding softly, Chuck glanced around the suite.

"How are you?" Bart suddenly asked, getting his attention.

"I'm fine," he replied blankly.

"I was told that you…," Bart began but stammered with his words. "Chuck, did you use again?"

"Use what?" he asked in reply.

"You know what I mean," his father said in a serious tone. "How much drugs did you take?"

"It doesn't matter. It was just one lapse," Chuck stated.

"Charlie…," Bart began in a sympathetic tone before approaching him. "One lapse is all that it takes."

"You haven't given a damn your entire life so don't start pretending now," Chuck exclaimed, pulling away from his touch quickly and instinctively.

Bart stopped moving and cast his eyes downward in shame.

"Look…," Chuck began, sighing heavily. "I'm not trying to make this harder for you and I didn't come here to fight. I'm glad you're getting help."

With that, he turned and walked towards the door when his father's words stopped him.

"Are things ever going to be good between us?" he asked quietly.

Glancing at his father, Chuck's sad eyes revealed the answer Bart wasn't looking for and the reality of it made him look away.

"I know I'm not exactly a ray of sunshine but you…," Chuck began desolately before looking up. "I don't trust you and I don't know if I can ever forgive you. Too much bad stuff has happened between us."

When Bart looked away again, Chuck took a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"Just get help," he mumbled before walking out of the suite and shutting the door behind him.

Once Blair was finished packing, she walked back into the living room, carrying the large bag over her shoulder. Just then, the door swung open and Eleanor walked in, stopping cold when she saw her daughter. Gazing at her mother, Blair noticed her

worn-out eyes and defeated frame.

"Blair?" Eleanor choked out.

Blair simply stared at her mother with a pained expression on her face and unforgiving eyes.

"You're not the only one he left," she finally said as Eleanor frowned. "Daddy left me too."

Tears quickly formed in her mother's eyes as she reached out to her daughter, but Blair pulled away.

"I'll never forgive you for this," she expressed, her voice holding a mixture of sadness and anger.

"Honey, I'm so sorry," Eleanor exclaimed and managed to pull her into a tight embrace. "Blair, I thought I was protecting you."

Blair remained still as her mother desperately clung to her. When Eleanor finally leaned back, she noticed the bag that was next to Blair's feet.

"Sweetheart, please don't leave," she cried as Blair scoffed incredulously.

"You sent me to England, mom!" she snapped. "You drugged me and sent me halfway across the world against my will! And now you don't want me to leave?"

"I was wrong," Eleanor gasped before falling onto the couch in a fit of tears. "I was so wrong."

"What do you want me to say? That I forgive you?" Blair asked in angry confusion. "I can't do that, mom! I don't know if I ever can!"

"I'm so sorry," Eleanor exclaimed, repeating the words over and over again as she buried her face in her hands.

Blair stared at her mother for a moment, unsure of what to say. She had expected her to be the same cold and detached person who had drugged her and sent her away. Instead, she saw a broken woman crying in front of her and this confused her more than ever. A part of her wanted to embrace and forgive Eleanor, but the wiser part of her mind reminded Blair of what she had done. She remembered going unconscious in the hospital parking lot and waking up in a foreign country, held prisoner in a home against her will. She also remembered how sad Chuck had been the previous night when he had pleaded with her to never leave him. Eleanor had placed that fear and doubt in his eyes.

"Maybe one day we can…," she began, but her sentence trailed off. "But not now. I can't be here right now."

With that, she quickly wore her jacket and walked out of the suite, carrying her bag across her right shoulder. Once the door was closed, Eleanor looked around her dark and empty home with red, teary eyes.

After seeing his father, Chuck had returned to his hotel suite…the place he had called home for such a long time. Changing into his signature red and white pajamas, he walked into the bathroom and dabbed cold water on his face. Drying his skin, he stared into the mirror and noticed how tired he appeared. The cuts on his face were still far from healing and the small bandage was still steadily in place in the back of his head. Running a hand through his messy hair, he sighed and walked towards the living room. Hearing a gentle knock on his door, he slowly moved towards it and swung the door open. Leaning his head into the doorframe, he smiled wryly at Blair who shrugged her shoulders.

"Do you feel like having a roommate?" she asked him quietly.

Opening the door a little wider, he took her bag from her shoulder and placed it inside just before she moved into his arms. Holding onto his body tightly, she closed her eyes and inhaled his scent.

"It's just us now," she said in a whisper.

Leaning back, he placed a kiss on her lips before smiling at her, trying his hardest to appear confident.

"Come on," he said, closing the door and leading her inside the suite.

Leading her by his hand, Chuck pulled her into the terrace. Standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and buried his face in her neck as she held onto his arms and leaned back into his body. Closing their eyes, they remained in that position as a warm gust of wind blew past them.


	21. Chapter 19

Chapter XVIV

Opening her eyes, Blair noticed that she was in bed alone. Sitting up, she wore her robe just as Chuck walked inside, carrying a cup of coffee. He was wearing his pajama bottoms, but his top was bare.

"Hi," he said as she smiled at him.

"Hi," was her response. "How long have you been up?"

"Not too long," he replied, walking to her side and kissing her lightly.

All of a sudden, the sound of the door opening reached their ears.

"Who is that?" Blair asked as he took a sip.

"Who else?" he replied with a smile just as Serena ran inside the bedroom and jumped onto the bed, scaring the life out of Blair as she pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Blair, I'm so sorry for everything. I can't believe Eleanor would do that. I was so sure that you had left on your own, just like I had and I tried to convince Chuck of it too," she said, all in one breath. "B, I'm so sorry. I should have realized what had happened."

"Slow down," Blair expressed with a laugh, calming her friend down. "I missed you too."

With that, Serena pulled her into another hug and Blair laughed again.

"I can't believe your mom," she said, pulling away. "That's crazy even for her."

"I tell myself that her heart was in the right place….albeit a twisted version of the right place," Blair replied. "But what she did…it's going to take some time for me to forgive her."

Nodding in agreement, she looked around and noticed the gym bag lying on the floor by the night stand.

"Did you bring an overnight bag?" she asked, facing Blair. "Or are you moving in?"

"Where else do I have to go?" Blair replied, smiling at Chuck. "I'm not staying with my mom and Chuck's alright, I guess."

Giving her a dry laugh, Chuck he into the bathroom as both girls faced one another.

"B, you could stay with me," she said softly.

"You were tied for first with Chuck," Blair replied. "But with your brother just getting out of that place your mom was keeping him in and starting to feel normal again, I didn't want to add any drama. And the only thing that's attached to my hip wherever I go these days is drama."

"You're so sweet for thinking that," Serena exclaimed. "But my home is always open to you, Blair…no matter what."

"Thank you," she replied as Chuck walked out dressed in black pants and a blue sweater.

"So how is it? Living with this one?" Serena asked with a smile.

"He can cook," Blair said after a moment's thought.

"Really?" Serena asked, getting off the bed. "I really am hungry, Chuck. Care to make us breakfast?"

"Fine," he said grumpily before heading towards the kitchen.

Serena followed him out as Blair began tidying the bed and heading to the bathroom to change her clothes. As she sat on the kitchen stool and watched Chuck grab a few items out of the fridge, Serena sighed softly.

"So how are you doing?" she asked as he faced her.

"I'm glad she's home," he replied with a smile.

"Chuck, I ran into your father yesterday," she stated as he faced her. "He told me about what happened."

"What are you talking about?" he asked in return.

"About the drugs," Serena said quietly.

"Keep that between us, alright?" he asked. "I don't want Blair to know about it."

"Okay, I will," she agreed. "But talk to her, Chuck. Tell her what happened. One of the many problems between Blair and Nate was that he never told her what was going on in his life. Don't make that same mistake."

He finally nodded at her as she took a sip of water from the glass in front of her.

"Your dad asked me to look out for you," she said as he scoffed. "He seemed like he meant it."

"Serena, come one," he said with a frown.

"I know, okay? After everything you told me about what happened between you and him all those years ago and with everything that has happened up until the other week, I don't blame you for never wanting to see his face again. But he's in therapy right now and he seems like he wants to change, make amends for what he did. I hope for his sake and yours, he can."

"Me too," he said quietly as she smiled at him.

"So if I'm going to be looking out for you, please try and make it easy on me, alright Bass?" she said, lightening the tone of the conversation as he smiled at her.

"Never," he replied as she laughed.

Walking out of the bedroom, Blair sat next to Serena and joined in on the conversation as Chuck continued to cook breakfast. After they had finished eating, Chuck had offered a ride to Serena as well and the three of them had left for school. Once they arrived, they noticed Nate standing on the front steps, anxiously waiting for them.

"There's Dan," Serena said, moving towards her boyfriend.

"I think I'll go say hi to Dan too," Blair said, following her friend.

Watching her leave, Chuck sighed and began approaching Nate who met him halfway.

"Hey," they said in unison.

"How've you been?" Chuck asked as Nate shrugged.

"Alright, I guess," he replied. "What about you? I heard about everything that happened with Blair and her mom. I'm glad you brought her back home."

"She's happy to _be_ back," he stated with a wry smile.

"What about you? How are you doing?" Nate asked quietly. "With everything?"

"One day at a time," Chuck replied with a shrug. "Thank your father for me for getting my dad some help."

"Of course," Nate said with a nod before sighing. "I'm so sorry, man. For everything that happened."

"I'm the one who's sorry," Chuck responded, cutting him off. "I betrayed you by getting together with Blair without telling you how I felt for her."

"And I've forgiven you for that," Nate said, much to Chuck's surprise.

"You have?" he asked, raising his brows.

"Yeah, I have," he assured him. "Blair and I were never good for each other. We constantly brought each other down and I was horrible in the way I treated her. I did love her, I really did. But I was never in love with her. I hate myself for hurting her over and over again and in a way I'm glad she found you because you seem to complete her. I've never seen her smile so much or cry this much when we were dating. You guys fit together like pieces of a puzzle and I'm glad she has you. I'm glad you have her, too."

"Wow," Chuck said with a small laugh. "I really didn't see this coming."

"I have my moments, just like you," Nate said as both boys smiled.

From the other side of the steps, Blair kept her eyes fixed on the two boys that had each at one point in her life held a place in her heart.

"What I was going to say earlier…why I'm sorry," Nate began. "I'm sorry for not realizing how bad things were for you at home. As angry as I was at you about Blair, a bigger part of me hated myself for not being there for you."

"Nate, I wasn't exactly upfront with the information," Chuck began.

"I know, but I still should have sensed that something was wrong. All the times you'd have a black eye or a swollen ankle or a broken wrist. You always said that you had tripped or some other lie and I believed you. I never thought otherwise. I'm sorry, man."

Nodding quietly, Chuck slowly smiled.

"So you're sorry and I'm sorry," he stated. "Friends?"

Staying quiet for a moment, Nate looked over the cuts on his friend's face that had begun to heal and the large bags under his eyes.

"Best friends," he said, pulling Chuck into a brotherly embrace.

"Serena, look," Blair said, pointing towards them as both girls smiled.

Taken aback by the move, Chuck hugged him back before both guys pulled away.

"Let's not do that again," he suddenly said with a smile as Nate laughed. "At least not in public."

"Once every ten years sounds good enough," he replied.

With that, they began heading towards the rest of the group, up the stairs.

"Blair, can we talk for a moment?" Nate asked as Chuck smiled at her.

"Sure," she said, following her ex-boyfriend to the main doors.

"Is everything okay with you guys?" Serena asked, noticing the huge smile on his face.

"For once…yeah," he said contently.

"I just wanted to apologize," Nate began, exhaling heavily. "I never would have guessed your mom would do something like that."

"You and me both," Blair replied before frowning. "And everyone else, for that matter."

"Things have changed so much from last year…hell, from last month," he explained. "I'm sorry I was never a good boyfriend and I'm sorry for never treating you the way I should have. You were always there for me and forgave me for everything and all I did was betray and hurt you over and over again. From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry."

Smiling genuinely at him, she pulled him into a warm embrace.

"I'm sorry too…for everything," she whispered before leaning back.

As they faced their group again, the others approached them and they began heading inside. Staying back for a moment, Blair leaned forward and kissed him lightly.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Whatever happens, we'll face it together," she said as he laughed.

"Let's just get through class today," he said as she smiled. "Then we'll worry about everything else."

"Sounds like a plan," she said. "After all, you _are_ Chuck Bass."

"And you _are_ Blair Waldorf," he stated.

Holding hands, they turned and walked inside their school with confidence as a number of junior students approached them, wanting nothing more than to join their popular circle.

(_THE END_…LOL. I really wasn't sure what else to write or how to end it. The rest of the chapters were full of so much drama, I wanted to end the story on a lighter note. I hope you guys like it.)


End file.
